A Spy's True Intentions
by Ms Sherlock Holmes
Summary: Sequel to A Potions Master's Remedy. It's been 4 years now and Harry and Snape are finally friends. But that friendship is over when Snape kills Dumbledore. Will it ever be repaired? And how will Harry destroy those Horcruxes if he even finds them?
1. Betrayal

Harry stood in the Astronomy Tower, terrified. On the floor just above him, he was able to see a wandless and weak Professor Dumbledore cornered by Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Fenrir Greyback. The elderly headmaster was, unsurprisingly, acting as if he was having a pleasant conversation with the enemy and he looked completely at ease. Harry did not know where Dumbledore found his confidence at times.

He raised his wand at the opening, ready to strike if one of Voldemort's avid followers did so. Suddenly, Harry saw a figure out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head. Professor Snape was standing right by the stairs leading to the higher level, watching him.

"Severus?" Harry whispered, confused yet relieved. After Harry had fallen ill during his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he and Snape became friends over the years. Their opinion of each other had changed after Snape had taken care of Harry in the privacy of his chamber in the school's dungeons. During that time, personal information was revealed from both sides and Harry and Snape now had a better understanding of one another. Harry was glad that his list of people he hated had lost a member.

Snape pressed a finger to his lips, pointing upwards. Harry nodded and watched anxiously, heart hammering, as the former Potions master surreptitiously made his way up the stairs. The Chosen One heard Bellatrix greet Snape and she goaded Dumbledore a bit more. Dumbledore looked immensely relieved at the sight of his colleague.

"Go on, now," Bellatrix said. "It's time!"

"Severus…"

The words were spoken so softly that Harry almost did not believe that it was Dumbledore who had said them. It scared Harry to see his normally very powerful headmaster be so weak and defenseless. He switched his gaze to Snape. The Hogwarts professor remained impassive, as if the situation had no affect on him whatsoever.

"Severus," Dumbledore pleaded. "Please."

Snape seemed to momentarily hesitate but he whipped out his wand and, much to Harry's shock, pointed it at Dumbledore.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Snape cried.

A flash of green light erupted from Snape's wand and it hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Harry forced himself not to scream as he watched the headmaster's body fly over the railing and plummet to the ground. The Death Eaters stood still for a moment, as if making sure Dumbledore was very well dead, before rushing out of the tower. Harry returned to his senses and chased after them.

* * *

><p>There were people who were duelling everywhere. Snape did not know how many Death Eaters there were or how they had even infiltrated the castle but he was certain of one thing: he had to leave. What he had done was not going to be taken lightly and Snape couldn't believe what he had done. He had just killed Albus Dumbledore. The former Potions master never wanted to do it; the old man had <em>asked<em> him to. Dumbledore had been dying, dying at the hands of a terrible curse that had been trapped in his blackened hand. Snape had tried his best to save his boss but his efforts had turned out to be futile.

Then it had come to Snape's attention that the Dark Lord had ordered Draco Malfoy to murder Dumbledore as a form of punishment for Lucius Malfoy's failure in the Hall of Prophecies at the Ministry of Magic the previous year. Being Dumbledore's spy among the crowd of Death Eaters, Snape had immediately alerted the headmaster. It was then that Dumbledore had asked his colleague to kill him instead of Draco not just because Dumbledore was going to die anyway but because he did not want the boy's soul to be damaged as killing tore at the soul. Snape was so appalled by the request that the bottom of his jaw had nearly been touching the ground. He had, of course, initially refused to accord this favor but had eventually given in. But now Snape was wishing that he had never given his word to Dumbledore.

Bellatrix was laughing like a madwoman as they stepped out into the grounds. Snape never liked Bellatrix, even during his time as a _real_ Death Eater. He had always found her ridiculously eccentric and he also found her obsession with the Dark Lord quite disturbing; she practically kissed the ground he walked on. Bellatrix, in turn, did not like Snape either but that animosity mostly came from the fact that Snape had worked at Hogwarts under Dumbledore when the Dark Lord was believed to be gone and that now Snape was the one the Dark Lord trusted most. Snape took pride in irritating Bellatrix.

As they neared Hagrid's hut, Snape suddenly got the feeling that they were being followed. He received his answer before he even turned around.

"_Snape!_"

The spy whirled around and saw with a heavy heart that it was Potter running toward them. The boy was being foolish; he was practically asking to be killed! There was no way for Snape to protect him without blowing his cover.

A loud explosion resounded and Snape looked over his shoulder in alarm. Bellatrix had set the gamekeeper's hut ablaze and was now doing some sort of victory dance. Snape slapped a hand to his face and shook his head: so much for leaving discreetly. But then again, stealth was never one of Bellatrix's strongest points.

Potter was frozen in shock but he soon pointed his wand at Snape. The spy took out his wand again but kept it lowered as he waited.

"He trusted you!" Potter yelled furiously. Snape could practically hear '_I_ trusted you' in those words. "_Sectumsempra_!"

Snape hastily deflected the spell. Potter sent another one his way and this time it was returned to Potter, knocking him off his feet, when Snape deflected it. Snape approached the boy, placing his best cold expression on his face.

"Do you really dare to use my own spells against me?" he sneered icily. He watched Potter's eyes grow wide as the Gryffindor understood. "Yes, _I _am the Half-Blood Prince."

Snape had always known that Potter had found his old Potions book. It wasn't Potter using _Sectumsempra_ on Draco Malfoy that revealed that piece of information to Snape; it was how Potter's Potions reputation had suddenly drastically improved. Potter was decent in the art of potion-making when he wasn't distracted but it was impossible for him to go from decent to excellent overnight! Snape had immediately suspected that his book had fallen in Potter's hands and he had waited for Potter to show it to him since he had become the boy's confidant but he never did. Snape had supposed that the boy did not one hundred percent trust him yet.

Snape kicked Potter's wand out of his hand before turning around and walking away. He heard Potter yell his name again and he broke into a run, rejoining his 'fellow' Death Eaters by the school gates.

_I'm sorry, Harry. You'll know the truth someday_, Snape thought as he Disapparated outside the school boundaries.

* * *

><p>Harry made his way to the Hospital Wing, feeling numb. Snape had killed Dumbledore and was one of <em>them<em>. Just when Harry had thought he had his professor figured out he was thrown a curveball. He had thought Snape was his friend, a guardian-like figure; he was nowhere near a parent-like figure just as Sirius had once been but Snape had been much kinder that the Dursleys. Harry could not believe that his professor was not the man he seemed to be.

His hands curled into fists as he realized just how far Snape's betrayal went. He had not just betrayed Harry and Dumbledore but everyone else who had believed in him. Snape had played his role well and Harry was glad that he had never shown his Potions book to the former Potions master; Snape did not need to have his mind completely refreshed about the spells he had invented.

Harry reached the Hospital Wing and he found Ron and Hermione standing outside the doors. The Chosen One approached them and Hermione gave him a hug as Ron patted him gently on the back. Harry could feel Hermione trembling against him and he slowly pulled away, his heart heavier than ever.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"Same here, mate," Ron added sadly. "Blimey, it seems that everyone you trust just leaves!"

"_Ron!_ Be a bit more sensitive!"

"Sorry."

Harry shook his head.

"No, he's right," he said, his voice cracking slightly with hurt. "Sirius was killed by Bellatrix last year, Dumbledore was also murdered and Snape turned out to be a traitor like Pettigrew. That's three people now; I don't know how much more I can take."

"You still and always will have us," Hermione said consolingly. "And Ginny, and Ron's family and—"

"Ginny? _Ginny!_ Is she okay?" Harry asked worriedly.

"She's fine, mate. That Felix Felicis of yours saved us all," Ron replied.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He made himself a mental note to go speak to Ginny before he left for his search of the Horcruxes. Speaking of Horcruxes, Harry dug in his pocket for the one he and Dumbledore had found but he no longer had it. Panic struck as Harry searched wildly for it but he then suddenly remembered that Dumbledore had been the one who had it last.

"Looking for this?" Hermione asked, pulling the locket from her own pocket.

"_Yes!_ But how did you—?" Harry began.

"We found it next to Dumbledore at the foot of the Astronomy Tower and we figured that it was the Horcrux you went looking for," Ron answered quietly. "The problem is, it's fake."

"Fake?" Harry repeated, his heart beating slightly faster. "What do you mean?"

"We opened the locket and discovered a note written by someone named R.A.B. This person took the real Horcrux and vowed to destroy it, only we don't know if they had succeeded or not," Hermione explained.

Harry took the locket and turned it in his hands. Dumbledore had weakened himself for nothing by drinking the potion that had been guarding this worthless thing. Now the headmaster was gone to a place where Harry couldn't reach him. Harry gripped the locket tightly and hot tears spilled out of his eyes. Hermione embraced him again and he could hear her sobbing quietly onto his shoulder and he could also see a stray tear or two sliding down Ron's face. As he and his friends stood crying, Harry wondered whether this was only the beginning of their heartaches.

**I'm back with the sequel of A Potions Master's Remedy! What do you guys think of this one so far? It feels like Harry and Snape's friendship has just begun even though four years have passed and already it falls to pieces! What will happen next, I wonder? Stay tuned to find out!**


	2. A talk between headmasters

It has now been over a month since the death of Albus Dumbledore and the wizarding world was now in a nice state of panic. If Dumbledore had not been able to survive against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers, who could? Some were finding the situation so hopeless that they were losing faith in The Chosen One and were actually giving up the fight. If things continued like that then it would truly be over.

Snape stood in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, staring at the desk. Sitting on it were two objects: a gold cup and a diadem. The cup had a note sticking to it and when Snape took the small piece of parchment, he saw that the message came from his 'master':

_Severus,_

_I need you to take care of these things for me. You are my most loyal and reliable servant so I know that you will keep these safe for me. Protect these with your life and don't let anyone get their hands on them. Understood?_

_Lord Voldemort_

Snape scowled. What on earth was he supposed to do with a cup and a diadem? And why did the Dark Lord want him to guard them? Snape doubted that these objects had any value to them.

"Ah, so Voldemort wishes that you guard his Horcruxes? Excellent."

The spy jumped and looked up. Right behind the desk, the portrait of Albus Dumbledore was smiling at him. Snape approached the portrait, sensing that Dumbledore knew something that he did not.

"Horcruxes?" Snape repeated, confused. "Elaborate, Albus."

"Remember when I had told you that a part of Voldemort's soul lives inside of Harry?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

"Vividly," Snape snarled acidly.

"Well, those objects on your new desk both contain a piece of Voldemort's soul," Dumbledore continued. Snape bounced away from the desk with lightening speed. "Such objects are called Horcruxes; Harry is also one. It's the same principle as Harry: while those objects exist, Voldemort cannot die. What I find odd, however, is that Voldemort has pulled his Horcruxes out of their top-security hiding places and has passed them on to you. Not that it matters, it's good for us."

"Yes, well, no one questions the Dark Lord except you," Snape mumbled. He spoke in a clearer tone. "You said that this was my desk?"

"You don't think that I do not know that Voldemort has made you headmaster of this place, do you?" Dumbledore wanted to know, raising an eyebrow.

Snape sighed. "No, I do not," he replied in a bored tone. "Is there any way at all to destroy that part of the Dark Lord's soul without killing Potter?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"I'm afraid not," he said sadly. He then smiled knowingly. "Oh, and it's okay to call him 'Harry' in front of me. I know you happen to care for the boy."

Snape felt his cheeks burn and he looked away stubbornly. He heard Dumbledore chuckle softly and Snape sighed again, this time out of exasperation. He could not keep a single thing hidden from that man. How did Dumbledore know _everything_? Snape would very much like to know his secret.

Eager to change the subject, Snape dug in his pocket and pulled out a locket. It was the size of a chicken egg and it had a serpentine 'S' in green emeralds on it. As Snape examined the locket closely, Dumbledore said casually, "It was interesting to see a bit of color in your cheeks, Severus."

"Don't make me throw this at you," Snape threatened menacingly, showing the locket to him. Dumbledore grinned broadly at the sight of it.

"You've got it!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

"Like you have predicted, I had to pry it off of that ridiculous Mundungus Fletcher. He would not give this up even to an alleged murderer," Snape said silkily.

"That is Mundungus for you: he will never pass on an opportunity to make a small fortune."

"Well, he won't be making any money for a while. I had to hex him six ways from Sunday and he's now lying unconscious in an alleyway in Diagon Alley."

"_Severus!_"

"What? You told me to do whatever it took to get this thing. I had tried to take it peacefully but the ragged fool wouldn't have it so I hexed him. I've left him sheltered and out of the Death Eaters' sight so keep your shirt on."

Dumbledore eyed Snape skeptically and Snape felt a small surge of satisfaction. It was fun to annoy the former headmaster at times.

"How did you know that Mundungus Fletcher had this locket?" Snape asked curiously.

"After I had died, I saw that the locket Harry and I had retrieved was a fake; someone had already taken the real locket and replaced it with a trinket. Then I had remembered Molly Weasley telling me something about throwing out a locket that no one could open when the House of Black was being cleaned out so there were chances that the house-elf Kreacher had somehow taken it back. Shortly after Sirius had died, I had received reports that Mundungus had cleared the House of Black of its valuables so he can pawn them off. I strongly suspected that he had gotten his hands on that locket," Dumbledore explained matter-of-factly.

"Why do you want this thing? I doubt there's any importance to it," Snape said.

Dumbledore gave him a look of exaggerated exasperation. "It's another Horcrux," he replied dryly.

Snape threw the locket away from him as if it had burned him. It landed on the desk with a small _clang_ and it sat motionlessly next to the diadem. Snape glared at Dumbledore.

"I wish you would warn me _beforehand_ when I'm handling a part of the Dark Lord," he snapped harshly.

"With pleasure," Dumbledore said, looking amused.

"How many of these Horcruxes has he made?" Snape asked, disgusted. The idea of purposely tearing one's soul horrified him beyond words.

"Seven, six were intentional," Dumbledore replied calmly. "I think you can guess which the unintentional one was."

"Harry," Snape whispered, remembering a conversation he had with Dumbledore months before. The former headmaster nodded.

"The six others are Voldemort's pet snake Nagini, a ring which I have destroyed, a diary which Harry has destroyed during his second year at Hogwarts, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem and Salazar Slytherin's locket."

Snape looked at the objects on the desk. "These are the founders' personal belongings?" he said in disbelief.

"That's right," Dumbledore said. Snape examined the objects by bending over them. He recognized Hufflepuff's badger on the cup, Ravenclaw's famous saying (_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_) on the diadem and Snape wondered why it took him so long to recognize Slytherin's serpentine 'S' on the locket.

"And Gryffindor's object?" Snape inquired, straightening up.

"Behind my canvas. Since the sword only presents itself to a true Gryffindor, Voldemort was never able to get his hands on it," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

Snape approached the canvas and pulled it open. Surely enough, the sword of Gryffindor hung on the wall behind it, the rubies on the hilt gleaming in the light. Snape pushed the canvas back against the wall and faced Dumbledore.

"That sword can destroy Horcruxes so you need to give the sword and all of the gathered Horcruxes to Harry," Dumbledore said in a business-like manner.

"How? In case you haven't noticed, Albus, the boy has not just gone back to hating me; he _loathes_ me now. He won't welcome me with open arms," Snape told him sardonically.

"I do have a suggestion."

"And what on earth would _that_ be?"

"Kidnap him and bring him here."

"_What?_"

"You heard me. It would be unwise of you to take these Horcruxes outside the castle so you will need to bring Harry to them instead. There will be a wedding at the Weasley household in a few weeks and it will be held under the Ministry of Magic's protection. But you and I both know that Voldemort has taken over the Ministry so he will be able to break through the defenses and send his Death Eaters to attack the party. You must join them and take Harry away from there as soon as possible and bring him back to Hogwarts."

Snape gaped at Dumbledore. "Are – Are you _insane_? I can't do that!" he exclaimed. "The Dark Lord has asked the Carrow twins to teach the Dark Arts and to be the disciplinarians of this school. It's not safe for Harry here!"

"I thought that Voldemort has made you headmaster?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes, but—"

"That means that you are in charge of this place?"

"_Yes_, but—"

"If you are in charge of this place then you are responsible of the Carrows. Keep Harry here in the office and forbid them from entering at any time for _any_ reason. If they wish to speak to you they must wait outside," Dumbledore told Snape in a final sort of way.

The former Potions master blinked as he processed Dumbledore's plan. It sounded nearly impossible but if it meant assuring the Dark Lord's downfall then maybe it was worth a shot.

"Fine, I'll do it," Snape groaned half-heartedly.

"Fantastic! It won't be easy but I think we can manage," Dumbledore said enthusiastically.

"_We_?" Snape snorted. "I think you mean _me_, Albus."

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore replied dismissively. "Now, let's prepare you for this task."

Snape sighed. This was going to be a _long_ few weeks.

**That's quite a plan Dumbledore's got there. Well, they've always said that he was a bit mad. **

**Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming!**


	3. Kidnapped

The tent outside The Burrow was crowded with very enthusiastic guests as the celebration of Bill and Fleur's wedding kept soaring. Harry was out on the dance floor, awkwardly trying to follow Ginny's pace as they danced the night away together. It had not been in his plans to put on his dancing shoes but he had not been able to resist his beloved girlfriend's requests for a dance partner. Much to his surprise, Harry was enjoying himself, which was a contrast to how he had felt during the Yule Ball; he supposed that it made a difference to attend a party with someone he actually _wanted_ to be with. This notion was confirmed when Ginny spun into his arms and locked her lips with his.

Harry looked around the tent. Ron and Hermione were dancing together nearby. Ron grabbed Hermione by her waist and lifted her while shooting furtive glances at Victor Krum, who was watching them closely. Hermione, who was clearly enjoying herself, seemed to notice nothing. Harry was certain that Ron was doing his best to keep Krum and Hermione's former romance from rekindling. The Chosen One chuckled softly at his best friend's obvious feelings for Hermione. He prayed that either of them will make a move soon.

Further along, Harry was able to see Fred and George socializing with Fleur's Veela cousins. The twins were pulling all sorts of tricks with their Weasley Wizard Wheezes merchandise, impressing the Veelas greatly and earning disapproving glares from their Great-Aunt Muriel. Harry was surprised that Mrs Weasley wasn't putting a stop to this but it turned out she was too engrossed in the festivities to take notice. Harry was secretly glad that she was.

Luna Lovegood was twirling on the spot with her hands outstretched along with her father Xenophilius. Harry had met Mr Lovegood earlier this evening and had learned where Luna got her eccentric ideas. But, since he was used to Luna, Harry was not bothered by her father. He actually welcomed their strange point of views since they distracted him from Voldemort.

As the band started to play at a slower pace, a ball of blinding light crashed in the middle of the dance floor. It hovered over the ground and the surprised guests formed a wary circle around it as it formed itself into a lynx. Harry immediately recognized the creature as a Patronus Charm. The lynx opened its mouth and Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice was heard all around.

_The Ministry has fallen. The Minister for Magic is dead. They are coming._

The lynx evaporated and the silence in the tent was deafening. Then chaos erupted as everyone tried to escape at once. It didn't take long for dark figures to appear and Death Eaters were added to the mayhem. Spells were soon flying all over the tent as everyone pushed and shoved as they tried to escape.

Harry was fighting his way through the frantic crowd. He wanted to grab Ron, Hermione and Ginny and leave. He wanted to stay and fight but since the Death Eaters were there for _him_, he would just be putting everyone in even _more_ danger. If he could, he would take every single person in the tent away with him but since that wasn't possible he had to settle for bringing whom he could.

Just as he spotted Ron and Hermione, Harry felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around him, pinning his arms to his side with an iron-like grip. Struggling against his bonds, Harry turned around to get a glimpse of his captor and saw with a mix of horror and anger that it was Snape. The former Potions master's eyes bore into his own and Harry felt himself grow faint. He fought against whatever spell Snape was issuing but his efforts were in vain; Harry blacked out and knew no more.

* * *

><p>Hermione cast a quick spell at a charging Death Eater, hitting him fully in the face. Voldemort's followers were all over the place and they were showing no mercy. Hermione suddenly bumped into someone as she backed away from the Death Eater she had just cursed and spun around, wand at the ready. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was just Ron. Now all they had to do was find Harry and get out as quickly as possible.<p>

It didn't take long to spot him. Hermione found Harry trying to force his way through the crowd with tremendous difficulty. She opened her mouth to call his name but a gasp came out instead when she saw Snape suddenly materialize behind her friend. The traitor looked straight into Harry's eyes after he had thrown his arms around his former students and Hermione watched Harry become limp in Snape's arms. Snape then wasted no time and Disapparated, bringing Harry with him.

Panic shot through Hermione. Where did Snape take Harry and what will he do with him? But she knew one thing: this was not the place to figure this out. Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and Disapparated.

They Apparated in the middle of an alleyway in London. Ron lost his balance as they landed and toppled over, bringing Hermione down with him. He flushed scarlet and profusely apologized. Hermione waved his apologies aside.

After they had changed into clothes Hermione had brought in her tiny beaded bag (Undetectable Extension Charms were quite useful), they walked down Tottenham Court Road. They found a small café to take refuge in. Hermione ordered them each a cappuccino (Ron had no clue what that was) as they sat in a booth.

"Okay, I've got a question for you: _why_ did we leave _without_ Harry? They were there for _him_," Ron asked incredulously.

"Because they've already got him," Hermione replied, her voice shaking a bit.

"What do you mean?"

"Snape suddenly showed up and took him God knows where."

"_No!_"

Hermione nodded.

"We have to help him," she said. "We can't leave Harry alone with Snape. Harry's life is much more important than Horcruxes."

"Great minds think alike," Ron said, smiling weakly.

"I'm positive that Snape won't bring Harry to Voldemort just yet. Not while the issue of the twin core wands exist," Hermione mused aloud.

"Right. Because they can't kill each other since the wands don't want to fight each other," Ron said.

"Yes, so that gives us a bit of time. How much of it, I don't know."

"Where could Snape have taken Harry?"

"That's the real mystery, isn't it? We won't be able to find our friend if we don't know where he is."

Silence fell after that exchange. The waitress reappeared with their coffees before returning to the back room. Ron eyed his drink sceptically before taking a sip and pushing his cup away. Hermione was torn between laughing and rolling her eyes at him. She drank her cappuccino quietly while trying to think of places where Harry may be held captive.

The door of the café opened and two men came in. They walked pass Ron and Hermione and since they were dressed in Muggle clothing Hermione did not take much notice of them. That was until she saw them turn around and point their wands at her and Ron.

"GET DOWN!" Hermione yelled, diving under the table. Ron looked over his shoulder and imitated her. A Stunning Spell hit the bench Ron had been sitting on and smashed it to pieces. Hermione crawled underneath another table and tipped it over to create a sort of shield. Ron did the same and together they fired every spell they knew at the two Death Eaters.

"How did they find us?" Ron yelled over the noise.

"I don't know! Just keep fighting!" Hermione yelled back.

After what felt like hours of duelling, Hermione was finally able to Stun one of the Death Eaters in the head. Ron Stunned the other Death Eater square in the chest, sending him crashing against the wall. When they saw that neither enemy was moving, Ron and Hermione slowly approached them, wands still raised.

"This one's Rowle. I've seen him in the Wanted posters," Ron said, kicking Rowle's wand out if his hand.

"And here's Dolohov. He's _everywhere_," Hermione added, bending over the unconscious Death Eater.

"What should we do? Kill them?" Ron asked, glaring at Rowle.

"_Ron!_" Hermione exclaimed, scandalized.

"Well, we have to do _something_ with them! They'll go blabbing to You-Know-Who!"

"We'll _Obliviate_ them," Hermione replied, unnerved at the idea of killing. "We'll make them forget they ever saw us."

"Speaking of memory erasing," Ron said thoughtfully. "What about that Muggle waitress?"

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed. She had forgotten about her. She looked at the door leading to the back door and saw that there was a huge hole in it. Hermione opened the door and found the waitress lying on the ground, unconscious. Hermione returned to Ron, who was watching her expectantly.

"I think one of our Stunners hit her in the back of the head so I doubt she saw anything," she told him shakily.

Ron pointed his wand to the café windows and gave it a flick. The blinds fell downward, hiding them from the rest of the world. He then took out the Deluminator Dumbledore has left him and turned out the lights. Hermione nodded in approval.

"Good thinking," she said. She approached Dolohov and pointed her wand at him.

"_Obliviate_," Hermione whispered. Dolohov gave a small twitch but did not wake. Hermione went to Rowle and repeated her actions. She then turned to Ron.

"Let's fix this place," Hermione said. Ron nodded. They went around the room, whispering _Reparo_ as they went. When they were done, they took Rowle and Dolohov and the waitress and placed them sitting upright in a booth. Ron turned the lights back on and Hermione opened the blinds before exiting the café and Disapparating away from there.

They Apparated in front of number twelve Grimmauld Place. As the house made itself visible to the two wizards, Ron stared at Hermione.

"Grimmauld Place? Never thought I'd be back here again. _Why_?" he asked.

"It was the only place I could think of. Besides, the Death Eaters can't come in here as long as the secret hasn't been divulged to them," she replied.

"And if it has? Snape was in the Order, remember? When Dumbledore died, every single person who has ever set foot in this house became Secret Keeper, including Snape."

"In that case, let's just hope for the best, then. C'mon, let's go in."

They went up the steps and cautiously stepped inside the house, praying that there were no nasty surprises waiting for them from within.

**How will they rescue Harry? They need to find out where he's been taken before doing anything. And how's Harry going to react when he wakes up? What do you think?**


	4. Captivity

Harry stirred but did not open his eyes. He felt very comfortable. Wherever he was, it was warm and soft. He had the impression that he was sleeping on a sort of cloud and nothing could ruin the moment, not even Snape.

Snape… Suddenly, everything came rushing back and Harry remembered the events of the wedding. He opened his eyes and sat upright in an abrupt manner, making his head spin. When everything fell back into focus, he saw that he was sitting in bed within a bedroom that was decorated in an antique style. Out the window, Harry could see the sun slowly starting to rise. How long had he been out?

Harry slowly climbed out of bed and headed for the door. He grabbed the handle and tried to turn it but it would not budge. He tried again and again with no success. He threw his hands up in frustration and turned back toward the bedroom. On the bed, Harry noticed, was a set of wizard robes. They were the color green in the exact same shade of Slytherin house and when Harry approached them he saw that there was silver embroidery and the Slytherin house crest was sewn to the front. There was a note lying on top of the robes and Harry picked it up.

_Welcome back, Potter,_

_ These are for you. You WILL wear these without objection since I won't have you running around in those ridiculous dress robes. Do as I say or the consequences will be severe._

_ Professor Snape_

Harry snarled. Of course, Snape had to dictate everything he did. Reluctantly, The Chosen One began to peel off his own clothes and put on the ones Snape had provided. They were a bit big but Harry thought it was probably in his best interest not to complain. He took out his wand, his Invisibility Cloak, the Marauder's Map and the Golden Snitch Professor Dumbledore had left him – which he had stowed back at The Burrow – from his dress robes and stored them inside the Slytherin ones. Harry then sat on the bed and wondered if he was ever going to leave the room.

He didn't have to wait long for his answer. The lock on the door clicked and the door slowly swung open. Snape stepped inside the room and Harry tightened his hands into fists, glaring daggers at his former friend.

"I see that you haven't tried _Alohomora_ on the door. How intelligent of you since it was locked with a spell that _Alohomora_ cannot penetrate," Snape said silkily.

Harry did not answer. He waited to see what else Snape had to say.

"Now, you are not a prisoner in this room. You are, however, confined to this office. I will assure you that you cannot escape by any means possible," Snape continued.

_Office?_ Harry thought, confused. Snape seemed to guess what he was thinking. The former Potions master motioned Harry to follow him as he swept out of the room. Cautiously, Harry trailed after him, finding him standing near a railing. Harry approached it and saw that it was a sort of balcony looking over Dumbledore's office. Confusion struck The Chosen One once again. Why did Snape bring him in the headmaster's office? Unless—

"As you can see, Potter, I was made headmaster," Snape said.

"_No!_" Harry yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. Snape seemed unbothered.

"How unfortunate. I was actually beginning to think that you had become a mute," he said in mock-disappointment. "The dream lives on."

Harry breathed in deeply to calm himself. This was _not_ happening. If Snape was headmaster that meant Hogwarts was going straight to hell. Life as they all knew it was going to become miserable. Harry couldn't believe that his home was now in the care of this hateful man.

A thought occurred to him. Why didn't Snape bring him directly to Voldemort? That struck as odd to Harry.

"Where is he?" Harry asked.

"Mind telling who you are talking about, Potter?" Snape replied coolly.

"You know, Vol—"

"Do not say the Dark Lord's name!"

"Why not?"

"His name is now Taboo, which is a clever way to capture and imprison those who dare to oppose him. Unless you want to be swarmed by Death Eaters I suggest you refrain yourself from using his name."

Harry paled. Hermione called Voldemort by his name. The Chosen One prayed that his friends would soon learn about the Taboo one way or another.

"Fine, I won't risk it," Harry said bitterly. "Where is the _Dark Lord_?"

"Look around, Potter. Do you see him anywhere?" Snape said coldly.

"That's not the question and you know it."

"I know perfectly well what the question was, you insolent little prat. I'm saying that all I know is that he's not here. He has bigger priorities to sort out before dealing with you. Consider yourself lucky," Snape replied.

"The twin core wands," Harry murmured.

"What was that?" Snape demanded to know.

"Nothing," Harry answered hastily.

Snape's glare was cold and full of suspicion. It was a wonder to Harry that he has yet to unleash his boiling hatred upon this man. Harry eyed Snape carefully as they climbed down the stairs to the lower landing.

"I need to be absent for the time being. Don't even _think _about trying to escape; I have placed several enchantments that will block any attempts you make. When I return, this office had better still be in one piece," Snape said silkily before marching out the door.

When the door closed and the lock clicked, Harry's knees finally gave way and he let himself fall to the ground. He couldn't believe that he was trapped and he was trapped by _Snape _out of all people. Why had this happened? Harry was usually good at escaping the enemy's grasp and now he found himself caught in it with no way out. The worst part was that he was all alone in this situation.

Harry looked around the office and his heart skipped a beat at what he saw. The portrait of Albus Dumbledore was hanging behind the desk with a sleeping Dumbledore within its frames. Maybe Harry wasn't alone after all.

* * *

><p>Snape was leaning against the office door, his heart hammering hard against his rib. He had done it. He had actually done it; he had successfully managed to bring Potter back to Hogwarts. It was hard to treat the boy coldly again but it had to be done. Part one of the plan had been executed; now he had to find a way to lure Potter to those damned Horcruxes. Snape hoped that he did not lose his cool along the way.<p>

He walked down the stairs and along the corridor. Snape had no idea where he was going. He was most likely going to wander around the school aimlessly for a bit, pretending to keep an eye on the preparations for the new school year. He was sure that Potter had discovered the portrait of Dumbledore by now; Snape hoped that it gave the boy some comfort.

A loud crash was heard at the far end of the corridor and Snape ran toward the sound, alarmed. He wrenched a door open and froze at the threshold. The entire classroom looked as if a hurricane had passed through it: several desks had been split in halves, books were torn and shredded, bookshelves were tipped over, artefacts were smashed to pieces and portraits have been ripped off the walls. In the midst of all of this stood the Death Eaters twins Alecto and Amycus Carrow, who were laughing mechanically.

"_What the bloody hell happened in here?_" Snape yelled, shocked, as he stepped inside.

"We're practicing," Amycus replied, grinning.

"For _what_?" Snape wanted to know.

"Disciplining the students. I think we've got it covered," Alecto said proudly.

"Disciplining the – _No!_ When I told you that I needed you to be disciplinarians I did not mean _kill_ the students! You may get rough with them but leave them _alive_." It pained Snape to tell the Carrows to be abusive toward the students of Hogwarts but it was part of his job as a spy.

"Fine. We'll let the brats live. But remember, Severus, we are only doing what you tell us because you are so close to the Dark Lord," Alecto said. "He holds you in high esteem."

"I am very well aware of that, Alecto," Snape replied acidly. "Now I want both you and Amycus to return to your quarters _immediately_."

"C'mon, Alecto. We're finished here anyway," Amycus said coldly. As he and his sister left the classroom, Snape yelled, "And if you destroy another classroom I will have the Dark Lord deal with you faster than you can say _Morsmodre_!"

As the door closed, Snape sighed heavily and pulled out his wand. He gave it a flick and everything in the classroom mended and replaced itself. Snape put his wand back inside his robes and exited the room, wondering whether he could really stand having two of the most reckless Death Eaters inside the castle.


	5. Grimmauld Place

Ron woke into the eerie silence of Grimmauld Place. He was lying in the bed of Sirius Black's old bedroom with Hermione still sleeping next to him. They had at first each chosen a separate bedroom to sleep in but Hermione had suddenly came in and had ask to stay with him for the night, not wanting to be alone in this empty house. Ron had been quick to allow her to spend the night with him.

Hermione suddenly gave a small whimper and Ron looked over at her, worried. A single tear slid from underneath her eyelid and rolled down her cheek as she whispered 'Harry', which felt like a stab to the heart for Ron. He knew that she was probably just worried sick about Harry but Ron couldn't help but think that he was once again being overshadowed by his best friend. It was the young ginger's greatest fear to have Hermione choose Harry over him.

Ron got out of bed and stretched. He put on his shoes and went downstairs. The somber kitchen greeted him and Ron could see grey clouds covering the sky outside the window. His mind wandered toward his family and fear gripped his insides. What has happened to them? Were they still alive? Ron did not want to think about the horrible news that was possibly waiting for him.

Small footsteps were coming down the stairs and Ron whipped out his wand, ready for any attack that may come his way. He needed not to worry: it turned out only to be Kreacher, clutching a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ as he made his way to his makeshift home in a small cupboard. Strongly suspecting that it was today's copy of the newspaper Ron approached the elderly house-elf.

"Why is the blood-traitor here? If he is here then my so-called master and the Mudblood must be here as well," Kreacher said.

"Don't call Hermione a Mudblood!" Ron snapped. "And, no, Harry's not here. Mind giving me that _Daily Prophet_?"

Kreacher clutched it closer to his small body. "No," he replied coldly.

"Give it here, Kreacher, and no one's gonna get hurt and by no one I mean you," Ron threatened.

Kreacher ducked past him and tried to hide in his cupboard but Ron was quicker: he pointed his wand at Kreacher's back and exclaimed, "_Accio_, _Daily Prophet_!"

The newspaper flew out of the house-elf's hands and zoomed into Ron's. Kreacher gave a strangled cry and stomped all the way to his cupboard, locking himself inside. Ron rolled his eyes at the house-elf's antics as he unfolded the _Daily Prophet_.

"Oh please, you'll have it back when I'm done with it," Ron said loudly. He glanced at the front page and his heart nearly stopped beating at the sight of the headline: _SEVERUS SNAPE: HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS_.

Too shocked to react, Ron slowly sat down at the kitchen table, reading the article. The nightmare that was called reality kept growing worse as the days went by.

* * *

><p>Hermione abruptly woke up, her face wet with tears. She had dreamt that they had found Harry but they had found him lying dead on the floor with Snape and Voldemort standing over him, laughing. They had then levitated Harry into Hermione's arms and she had begun to sob at the loss of her best friend, the one person she truly considered to be her brother. But it had not taken long for Voldemort and Snape to turn their wands upon her and Ron and a bright flash of green light obscured Hermione's vision, causing her to wake up with a start.<p>

Trembling slightly, Hermione dried her face with the bed sheet and saw that Ron was gone. Frightened, she jumped out of bed and quickly put her shoes on before racing downstairs. She went all the way down to the kitchen and cried out in relief when she saw Ron sitting at the kitchen table, a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ lying flat in front of him. Her cry made him jerk his head up and Hermione rushed toward him and threw her arms around him. She felt Ron slowly wrap his arms around her and after a minute of prolonged hug Hermione pulled away.

"Don't just leave like that, Ron. I thought something had happened to you," she said.

"Hermione, if something had happened to me, why would the enemy take me and leave you? You're a Muggle-born; Death Eaters have zero tolerance for you guys," Ron said reasonably.

"Well, I don't know! They could have different plans for me!" Hermione snapped irritably.

"I don't know what kind of plans they have for us but I can tell you what plans they have for Hogwarts," Ron replied.

"And what would those be?"

Ron closed the newspaper and showed the front page to Hermione. She gasped in horror as she read the headline, not daring to believe her eyes.

"Th-This can't be," Hermione said. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it. Snape's taking over the school and the students are now forced to attend and all Muggle-borns are officially expelled _and_ must register at the Ministry though I doubt that the registration is anything good. It looks like you're officially on the run, Hermione," Ron replied, opening the _Daily Prophet_.

Hermione wasn't listening; her mind was working. If Snape was now headmaster that meant he had to remain at Hogwarts at all times in order to be his master's eyes and ears. And since Snape took Harry and had to keep an eye on him then there was only one place Harry could be.

"Ron! I think I know where Harry is!" Hermione exclaimed triumphantly.

"Brilliant! Where?" Ron asked. Comprehension dawned on his face. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Hogwarts!"

"That's right. Snape is keeping Harry prisoner and since he's now headmaster he has to keep an eye on the school as well so where else would Harry be?"

"On Mars."

"Not funny, Ron."

"Lighten up, will you?"

Hermione gave him a look that she knew would put Mrs Weasley to shame and Ron seem to shrink in his seat. He then straightened up and began to fold the_ Daily Prophet_ closed.

"Where did you get that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Nicked it off Kreacher. God knows where he got this; little git probably stole it like he steals everything in this house," Ron replied.

"Ron! How many times do I have to tell you to be kind to Kreacher?" Hermione said reproachfully.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I was going to give it back when I was done. You should be glad that I took this newspaper from him or else we would have never known where to find Harry," Ron argued, sounding slightly frustrated.

Ignoring Hermione's glower, Ron got to his feet. Hermione watched him deliver the _Daily Prophet_ to Kreacher's room. He opened the cabinet door and Hermione heard a string of profanities being yelled by Kreacher before Ron hurled the newspaper at him and slammed the cabinet door shut, drowning out the house-elf's voice.

"You could have handled that a bit better," Hermione scolded. "No wonder he doesn't like you."

"He doesn't like you either thanks to the whole pureblood supremacy thing," Ron replied. "I'll be nice to a house-elf when it's nice to me. Look at Dobby: he's great to us so I have no problem with him."

"You need to treat everyone with respect and dignity no matter what. Take a leaf out of Dumbledore's book," Hermione said.

"And look where it got him; he ended up hiring an undercover Death Eater who later murdered him. Bad example, Hermione."

"No, it isn't. Trusting Snape was a grave error of judgement; treating him with respect wasn't. I don't expect you to make the distinction between the two but it's the reality of things."

Ron remained silent, clearly not wanting to argue. Hermione watched him patiently as he was trying to make sense of her logic.

"Don't strain your brain trying to understand," she finally said. "We need to find a way to sneak back into Hogwarts without being detected. Any ideas?"

"I was hoping that you would be the one to provide them," Ron replied truthfully.

"One thing that I know for certain is that the security at the school will be heightened," Hermione continued, preventing herself from rolling her eyes with difficulty. "I wouldn't be surprised if Snape has had dementors re-stationed at Hogwarts like in our third year."

"That wouldn't be good," Ron said, swallowing hard.

"No, it wouldn't be," Hermione agreed, nodding her head. "I also expect a couple of Death Eaters to hang about as well. Not just at Hogwarts but in Hogsmeade too. I'm also positive that all seven secret passageways in the school have now been blocked."

"Blimey! You-Know-Who should ask you to join his ranks; you've really thought of everything on how to keep us out of the school," Ron said teasingly.

"Ha ha. We have to think of every possible security tactic in order to find a loophole. So far, it's airtight."

"We _will_ find a way to rescue Harry, right?"

"Of course we will. I hope."

They both fell silent as Hermione slowly sank onto a chair. The future did not look very bright in their eyes as they contemplated the dangerous road ahead.

**Sorry it took so long. Lots of homework.**

**Please review! Reviews are much appreciated!**


	6. New term

The sun was sinking low in the horizon as Snape slumped into his chair in his office. It was only the first day of the term and he was already exhausted. It had not helped that he being called to one end of the school to the other by the Carrows, who kept reporting rebellious students. Those students were nearly all from Potter's lot, the group that had named itself 'Dumbledore's Army'; the rest were simply Potter's supporters and the Dark Lord's enemies.

Snape looked over his shoulder. Dumbledore himself was sleeping soundly in his portrait. Snape resisted the urge to grab the portrait by the frame and roughly shake it; he blamed Dumbledore for the position he now found himself in. It was the former headmaster who had ordered his former employee to become his spy and mingle with the Dark Lord's inner circle just as he had done when he had graduated from Hogwarts in 1978. That idea had not thrilled Snape then and it continued to irritate him to no end.

He got to his feet. It might be best to check on Potter and see how he was doing; the boy refused to leave his room, at least when Snape was around. As Snape climbed up the stairs, he was trying to work out a detail that Dumbledore had neglected when he had helped the Potions master prepare for Potter's stay: how to protect the boy while maintaining his Death Eater image. It was difficult to not waver more on one side than the other and Snape feared that he would become too protective of Potter and give away where his true loyalties lie to the Dark Lord and his followers. Snape shuddered at the thought of facing his 'master's' wrath.

Potter's bedroom door was closed and Snape quietly opened it. Potter was lying horizontally and unmoving on the bed. Fear clawed at Snape's insides as he rushed toward him. Had the Carrows somehow found out that Snape had smuggled Potter in the school and they came and attacked the boy when Snape had his back turned? Anything was possible in these dark times.

Snape stood over Potter and released a breath he did not know he was holding. Potter's chest was slowly rising up and down and he rolled over a bit; he was asleep. Snape sat on the edge of the bed next to Potter, getting over his brief moment of panic.

_Don't ever scare me like that again, Harry_, Snape thought as he gazed at Potter's sleeping form. At least one of them could fall into an easy slumber; Snape had trouble getting a good night's sleep with his racing mind. He constantly kept wondering if the security measures were good enough and how long it will take for the Carrows – who were like a ticking time bomb – to snap and kill a student or staff member. And on top of that, he had Potter to juggle as well. Snape assumed that it was the amount of responsibilities that was going to kill him, not the Dark Lord.

Snape stood up and removed Potter's glasses, placing them on the table next to the bed. Very slowly, Snape turned him in a vertical position. He laid Potter's head on the pillow and pulled the blankets over his former student, who did not wake up. Snape silently backed away as Potter turned his back on him and left the room.

Snape went back downstairs. This time, however, he was not the only one awake. Dumbledore was sitting upright in his portrait and he was smiling brightly. Snape approached him.

"What are _you_ smiling about?" Snape hissed irritably.

"It was a nice day out," Dumbledore replied cheerfully.

"Where's that paint thinner?" Snape asked, looking around the office.

"Calm down, Severus –"

"Don't tell me to calm down! It's only the first day of term and I'm already running amok trying to keep this school safe while looking as if I'm the Dark Lord's most faithful servant. When you come back from the dead and fill in my shoes _then_ you can tell me calm down!"

Dumbledore remained impassive as Snape drew breath after his rant. The former headmaster pushed his half-moon glasses further up his nose, looking at his friend thoughtfully.

"Severus –" Dumbledore began.

"What?" Snape snapped.

"Do you want to know the _real_ reason why I was smiling?" Dumbledore asked patiently. Snape nodded curtly. "It's because positivity is how you battle negativity. Yes, even in these dark times. It does not do any good to brood over all the things that have gone wrong in the world," Dumbledore continued.

Snape groaned and turned the desk's chair around so that he can sit facing Dumbledore. "You are far too optimistic, Albus," Snape said as he sat.

"And _you_ are far too cynical, Severus," Dumbledore replied. "How is our guest?"

"Asleep and loathing me. He barely leaves his room."

"Only when you are around. He comes out when you leave. I've had a few conversations with him already."

"What did you tell him?"

"Just a few things to keep his mind off of being captured, that's all. I haven't revealed our plan to him."

"Good," Snape said. "It's not the time to let him know."

"Harry has told me that he along with Mr Weasley and Miss Granger have not managed to discover the location of Slytherin's locket before they got separated," Dumbledore informed him. "What did you do with it?"

"Hid it somewhere in Harry's room. He should be able to find it if he looks hard enough," Snape replied in a bored tone.

"And the diadem and the cup?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"The diadem is under lock and key in your desk and the cup is placed on one of the tables over there," Snape said, pointing at the spindle-legged table closest to the fireplace. "You'd be amazed at how narrow-mindedness can assure the best kind of invisibility."

"I see that you have learned something from me," Dumbledore said, pleased.

"Evidently," Snape replied lazily.

"I'll be doing my best to give Harry hints on where to find the Horcruxes. There are, after all, four of them in this office alone."

Snape glowered at Dumbledore. As if he had needed reminding that Potter had to be destroyed along with the Dark Lord. Snape has yet to forgive Dumbledore for keeping that small bit of information hidden for so long.

"Severus, I have a favor to ask from you," Dumbledore suddenly said.

Snape raised his eyebrows; this could not be good. "What?" he replied suspiciously.

"Can you please fetch Dobby the house-elf from down in the kitchens? He will be more than happy to help Harry," Dumbledore requested.

"And _what_ can a house-elf do, pray tell?" Snape demanded.

"Oh, many things. Just do as I say, Severus," Dumbledore told him severely.

"Yes, Albus. I'll go there straight away," Snape replied.

Dumbledore looked satisfied as Snape turned on his heels and swept out of the office. He should have, Snape thought, learnt not to question Dumbledore's plans; it always brought more questions than answers.

**Here it is! The end of the first school term is almost here so I should be able to upload chapters a bit more frequently. :) **


	7. Dobby

Harry opened his eyes. It was now dark in the room and stars were twinkling in the sky outside. Harry slowly sat up and groped around for his glasses, not remembering ever taking them off. Everything was dark and blurry, making his search a bit more difficult.

_Oh, where are they?_ Harry thought, annoyed. His hand finally wandered onto the table next to the bed and he felt the cool metal frame of his spectacles under his fingertips. Harry grabbed his glasses and put them back on, the room returning into focus, and he looked around, half-expecting Snape to be standing guard. Fortunately, Harry found himself very well alone.

He glanced down at himself. How had he ended up underneath the blankets? Harry remembered letting himself fall on the bed in the wrong direction but he had felt so exhausted that he had not cared; he had not slept remotely properly in three days, fearing the Death Eaters running freely in the castle; he had heard a few stories via the portraits of headmasters and headmistresses past. But he certainly did not pull the blankets over himself. Harry supposed he may have slept walked or something.

Getting out of bed, Harry decided to walk around a bit. It was late and Snape should be in bed. At least, that was what Harry hoped; he preferred to avoid Snape if he could. The Chosen One strode across the room and cracked open the door. The only source of light seemed to be the moonlight flooding from the windows. Needing to make sure that Snape was not going to walk in on him, Harry tiptoed over to the next room.

The master bedroom, as Harry and his Muggle heritage called it, had its door open. Harry crept inside and found Snape lying in bed, sleeping soundly. Harry approached him noiselessly and was surprised to see his former professor look so peaceful. Even during the time they were friends Snape had rarely put his guard down around Harry and anyone in general. The Chosen One had guessed that Snape did not want to do it again after exposing himself to Harry during the teen's second year at Hogwarts.

If Harry was unsporting, he would have taken advantage of Snape's defenseless state and make him pay dearly for his betrayal. But Harry supposed that ripping the pillow directly from underneath Snape's head would do even though it was an equally deadly thing to do. Harry did not dare to imagine what kind of fury would be sent his way.

A loud _crack!_ was heard from downstairs, loud enough to wake the entire castle. Harry grew rigid with shock as Snape slowly shifted but, amazingly, did not wake up. Not believing his luck, Harry silently rushed out of the room. He paused outside the door. Should he go investigate the cause of the noise? It might be an incredibly stupid thing to do: a Death Eater could have just Apparated inside the office. Harry knew for a fact that Snape had removed the enchantment that prevented people from Apparating in and out of Hogwarts but since all Harry has ever done was Side-Along Apparation he had decided not to risk trying this mode of transportation by himself.

Harry's instincts were telling him to verify the commotion below so he crept toward the railing. He looked over it and saw a small creature dressed in an assortment of odd clothing placing a tray of sandwiches and pumpkin juice on the headmaster's desk. Harry squinted through the darkness and recognized the creature.

_Dobby!_ Harry thought, happy to see a friendly face. He hastily made his way downstairs as quietly as possible.

"Dobby! What are you doing here?" Harry whispered, skidding to a halt in front of the house-elf.

"Harry Potter!" Dobby squeaked, hugging Harry hard around the middle. "Dobby is so very glad to see you safe, sir!"

"Define 'safe'," Harry mumbled as his friend released him. "Dobby, you shouldn't be here," he added in a clearer tone. "If Snape finds you here –"

"Oh, Headmaster Snape has ordered Dobby to bring food to Harry Potter," Dobby said, his eyes wide. "But Professor Dumbledore on the other hand has different instructions for Dobby."

"Instructions? What _kind_ of instructions?" Harry asked, perplexed, as he cast a swift glance at Dumbledore's currently empty portrait. What was he up to _now_?

Lowering his voice, Dobby replied, "He told Dobby to do want he can to help Harry Potter in any way he needs but he must do this without Headmaster Snape's knowledge."

Harry smiled weakly. "Is there any way to get out of here?" he asked.

The house-elf shook his head. "No, sir. Not unless you Apparate, sir," Dobby said.

"That option will most likely get me splinched," Harry sighed. "I won't bother trying that."

"Is there anything Dobby can do for Harry Potter _outside_ of Hogwarts?"

The question struck Harry. Of _course_, why had he not thought about that? He could use Dobby to reach out to Ron and Hermione! Harry felt a sliver of hope course through him.

"There _is_ something you can do for me, Dobby," Harry said breathlessly.

"Anything, sir!" Dobby exclaimed, his high-pitched voice alarming Harry.

"First of all, keep your voice down! We don't want to wake up Snape. Second of all, can you find Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and deliver them a message?" he asked.

"Dobby would be honored, sir. What is the message?" Dobby replied eagerly.

"Tell them that I'm trapped inside Hogwarts and that they shouldn't use You-Know-Who's name since it has been bewitched into a sort of tracking device. They say the name, they will be found."

"Dobby will be sure to tell them! But can Harry Potter tell Dobby where he might find Mr Weasley and Miss Granger?"

"Try number twelve Grimmauld Place. If they're not there then God knows where they could be."

"Yes, sir! Dobby will be going now, Harry Potter, and he will return when he has found your friends!" And with that the house-elf vanished with another loud _crack!_ and Harry was alone again.

He genuinely smiled for the first time in days. He now had something to finally look forward to. He just prayed that Ron and Hermione were at the location he had given Dobby.

The lights suddenly flickered on and Harry spun around. Standing at the top of the stairs dressed in a grey nightshirt was Snape, looking, as accustomed, surly. Harry swore under his breath at the sight of him.

"_What_," Snape drawled, "was all that _noise_?"

Harry did not answer. Snape's eyes them flitted over to the tray of food Harry had forgotten Dobby had brought.

"I see that that house-elf has brought you the food I have asked for," Snape said silkily.

"His name is Dobby," Harry said through clenched teeth.

"A matter of little importance," Snape sneered. "Eat up and get back to bed."

The former Potions master retreated upstairs, closing the light again. Harry, unable to ignore his growling stomach, ate in the moonlight.

_One of these days_, Harry thought bitterly as he chewed, _your power will be lost, Snape, and your master will be equally gone_.

**Yay! Dobby's here! Who's happy to see him? I know I am. **


	8. Message

Music was floating around Grimmauld Place, making the place a bit more heart-warming than it actually was. Hermione had found the piano in the sitting room and had begun playing it, bringing her some small comfort. Ron was sitting on the couch at the far side of the room, listening. Hermione felt his eyes on her back and she felt slightly self-conscious.

"That sounds nice. You're really good," Ron said.

Hermione flushed a little but kept on playing. "Thanks," she replied timidly. "My parents had signed me up for lessons when I was a kid."

"It paid off," Ron said. Hermione could hear the smile in his voice and she felt rather pleased.

_Crack!_

Ron yelped and Hermione shrieked as she stumbled over the piano keys. Something had suddenly materialized inside the house, something neither had counted on. They had believed that they were safer in Grimmauld Place than anywhere else; it seemed unlikely that something friendly had come to meet them.

"Do you hear something?" Ron asked, scared.

Hermione strained her ears. There was, indeed, a sound and it was coming closer. It was high-pitched and it resembled small squeals of pain. Hermione looked questioningly at Ron but she did not need to wait long for her answer: Kreacher suddenly came bursting in, wrestling with _Dobby_. Hermione and Ron quickly went to separate them.

"You will _not_ remain in Kreacher's mistress's house!" Kreacher yelled, trying to hit every inch of Dobby he could reach.

"Dobby does not care about what Kreacher wants! Dobby has been given a task to accomplish by Harry Potter!" Dobby yelled angrily.

Ron and Hermione stared at each other with their mouths open as Ron held on to Kreacher and Hermione gripped Dobby.

"My so-called master sent you? Kreacher should not be surprised. Kreacher's master like to work with the scum and the disgrace. He is –"

But whatever Harry was, they never knew. Dobby had sunk his tiny fist into Kreacher's mouth, knocking out some of the rest of the teeth he had not managed to break the last time he and Kreacher had met during Harry and Ron's stay in the hospital wing during their sixth year. With great effort, Ron and Hermione pulled the two house-elves apart.

"All right, you two, settle down," Hermione said calmly.

"Miss Granger!" Dobby exclaimed cheerfully. He freed himself from her grasp and bowed low to her. "What an honor it is to be in the company on one of Harry Potter's friends."

"Dobby is proving Kreacher's point about his master taking pleasure in being around the scum and the disgrace," Kreacher snarled. "Talking to Mudbloods and bowing to them is the lowest –"

The rest of the sentence was lost when Ron grabbed Kreacher by the scruff of the neck and hurled him out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Dobby applauded Ron as Hermione glared at the ginger as he returned to them.

"_What?_" Ron snapped. "I don't tolerate the term 'Mudblood' whether it comes from a human or a house-elf and neither should you!"

"Mr Weasley is correct, Miss Granger," Dobby said. "Kreacher gives we house-elves a bad name. _He_ is the disgrace by calling you rude names and Kreacher needs to learn that is not the proper way of conduct."

"_See_, Hermione?" Ron continued, sending Dobby a grateful look. "Even Dobby says so! You need to tell Kreacher off every time he insults you in order for him to understand that he can't get away with it."

"He calls _you_ a blood-traitor but you don't call him out on it," Hermione replied in defense.

"That's not an insult. Being called a blood-traitor just means that I don't support pure-blood supremacy despite being a pure-blood; being called a Mudblood stands for having dirty blood, worthless blood in case you've forgotten. If doing the right thing means earning the title 'blood-traitor' then so be it but _no one_ needs to have their heritage discriminated."

Silence fell after Ron's words. Hermione, stunned, did not know how to answer. Looking satisfied, Ron turned to Dobby, who bowed to him in turn.

"You said that Harry sent you?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Dobby is delivering a message from Harry Potter to his friends," Dobby explained.

"Let's hear it, Dobby," Hermione said.

"Harry Potter wanted Dobby to tell you that he is being kept inside of Hogwarts and he is locked inside the headmaster's office –" Dobby began anxiously.

"Yeah, we already figured out where he was when we learned Snape was headmaster," Ron interrupted.

"That may be but now we know _where_ in Hogwarts Harry is being held captive," Hermione told him. "Go on, Dobby," she added kindly.

"Harry Potter had also asked Dobby to pass a warning to his friends: you must not call He Who Must Not Be Named by his name."

"Why?" Hermione asked, startled, as Ron looked relieved. Harry was the last person she expected to tell them to not call Voldemort by his name.

"Because the name has been bewitched, miss. If Miss Granger calls He Who Must Not Be Named by his name then his followers will be able to find her and her companion, miss."

"A Taboo," Hermione whispered. "How ingenious."

"That must be how they found us at that café!" Ron exclaimed loudly.

Dobby's eyes grew wider than tennis balls.

"Harry Potter's friends were attacked by He Who Must Not Be Named's followers?" he squeaked, horrified.

"Yes, but we're fine," Hermione replied hurriedly. "Thanks for giving us the message, Dobby. Is Harry all right?"

"Oh yes, miss. He is safe and sound," Dobby replied.

"For now," Ron intervened. "He's with Snape, remember?"

"Headmaster Snape has surprisingly not harmed Harry Potter. Dobby has been watching Headmaster Snape and is wondering whether he had imagined it when he had seen Headmaster Snape look at Harry Potter with a sad expression when Harry Potter isn't aware he is being watched."

"Snape doesn't have feelings and you've been watching him?"

"Yes, sir. Dobby is the only one who cleans the headmaster's office since the other house-elves do not want to be near Headmaster Snape. The few times Dobby has seen Harry Potter in the same room as Headmaster Snape he has noticed that Headmaster Snape's whole demeanor changes when Harry Potter has his back turned: he goes from cold to sad, sir."

"Are you sure that is what you saw, Dobby?"

"Dobby is positive, miss. But, as Dobby has said, it is possible that he has imagined it. But since he has seen this more than once or twice, Dobby doubts it."

Hermione contemplated the house-elf's words. If what Dobby had said was correct, then this was odd behavior for Snape. Why would a murderer, a Death Eater, would be sad over a broken friendship? Every Death Eater Hermione had encountered had only looked out for his or her interests and the ones of their master.

"Maybe you've inhaled too many fumes from those cleaning fluids, Dobby," Ron said reasonably, earning an exasperated look from Hermione.

"_Anyway_, thank you for coming to us, Dobby," she said. "We really appreciate it."

"Yeah, thanks," Ron added with a smile.

"Do you have any more questions for Dobby before he goes?" Dobby asked cheerfully.

"As a matter of fact, yes. How can we get into Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"Apparating is the only way in, miss," Dobby replied.

"But we can't –" Hermione began.

"Hermione, if Dobby says that's the only way in then we obviously _can_," Ron cut her off, rolling his eyes. "Uh, _right_, Dobby?" he added uncertainly.

"That is correct, sir. Headmaster Snape has removed the enchantment that prevents anyone from Apparating in and out of the grounds. Of course, none of the students know this: it is for the sole use of the Death Eaters after all," Dobby explained. "But Dobby does not recommend that you Apparate directly into Hogwarts. He suggests that you Apparate into Hogsmeade and make your way to the school from there."

"Sounds good," Ron said, nodding. "Thanks, Dobby."

"Any time, Mr Weasley. Dobby is always willing to help Harry Potter's friends."

"Before you go, Dobby, can you tell Harry that we're okay and that we'll come for him as quickly as possible?" Hermione asked.

"Most certainly, Miss Granger. Dobby must report back to Harry Potter and he will tell him," Dobby replied, smiling.

"Thank you."

"Dobby must go now and he will see you soon!" And with that he was gone. Hermione turned to Ron.

"Well, at least we know what to do," she said.

"Do you want to go there tonight?" Ron asked.

"No, not tonight. Tomorrow night we'll go."

Ron nodded and sat back down on the couch. Hermione joined him, trying to form a plan in her mind that will permit them to break into what will be a top-security school.

**Ron and Hermione to the rescue! Let's see if they can break into Hogwarts unnoticed.**


	9. The locket

_Crack!_

Harry fell out of bed in shock as Dobby reappeared before him. Mumbling, Harry picked himself up from the floor and put his glasses back on.

"Dobby is so sorry, Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed, his eyes wide. "It was not his intention to surprise you, sir."

"Never mind that. Did you find Ron and Hermione?" Harry wanted to know.

"Yes, sir! They were exactly where you have told Dobby they would be. Dobby has delivered them your message and now has a message for Harry Potter from his friends," Dobby answered.

"Brilliant! What is it?"

"Harry Potter's friends want to let him know that they are safe and that they will come for him as soon as possible."

Harry felt as if a huge weight has been lifted. His friends were coming, he was going to be freed. Just as he processed this happy thought, a flash of pain seared across his scar. Harry clutched it and it went away as fast as it came. He gingerly put his hand down and found Dobby watching him worriedly.

"What is wrong, Harry Potter?" Dobby asked.

"It's so weird," Harry replied shakily. "That only happens in specific rooms: here and the office below. The pain is stronger when I'm somewhere specific in the room too."

"Where does it hurt most in this room, sir?" Dobby inquired.

"Over there," Harry said, pointing at the dresser. Dobby approached it and began to search about. Then, not without difficulty, he pushed the dresser away from the wall and gasped.

"Harry Potter!" Dobby squeaked excitedly. "Look at what Dobby has found!"

Harry joined him and it was his turn to gasp. Hanging off the wall behind the dresser was _Salazar Slytherin's locket_. Harry couldn't believe his eyes.

"I-I can't believe this," Harry said softly, taking the locket.

"Doesn't your scar hurt, sir?" Dobby asked.

"A little," Harry replied truthfully. "But this – this feels like I'm _familiar_ with the content of this locket."

"What is in it?"

"You don't want to know."

Dobby nodded and began to push the dresser back in its place. Harry put the locket around his neck and under his pyjamas before helping Dobby. As they pushed against the heavy piece of furniture, Harry felt as if there was a small pulse beating along with his own heart where the locket laid against his skin. He shuddered at the thought of it was like to have a miniature Voldemort hanging off his neck.

The dresser back in place, the Chosen One sat on his bed, thinking hard. He now had one Horcrux with no means to destroy it. Harry did not know what kind of substances was powerful enough to assure the destruction of a Horcrux let alone how to get his hands on some. All he was certain of was that, as Hermione had once said, no normal means of destruction will suffice.

"Can Dobby do anything else for Harry Potter?" Dobby asked quietly.

"Just let Ron and Hermione know that I've found the locket," Harry replied absent-mindly. "But do it tomorrow; get some sleep."

"Yes, sir," Dobby said, bowing, as Harry climbed back into bed. With another loud _crack!_ the house-elf was gone. Harry took his glasses off and lay down, not bothering to remove the locket.

* * *

><p>Snape sat up abruptly in his bed. How many nightly visits did Potter <em>have<em>? Dumbledore had warned Snape that that house-elf would be making nightly appearances and that Snape must act as if he was unaware of their plan. The former Potions master had grudgingly complied.

He got out of bed and went out on the balcony. The night was slightly cool, signalling the end of the summer. The stars twinkled in the sky but, as Snape looked out into the distance, they only seemed to shine above the castle and its grounds. The Dark Lord had ordered the Dementors to remain outside the grounds and he had also told them that they could only enter on Snape's command or the consequences would be severe. Snape was still unnerved at the idea of having an army of the foulest creatures on earth at his disposal.

The lights were still on in Hagrid's hut, making Snape wonder why Hagrid was still awake at this hour. A small black figure was wandering around the grounds and Snape strongly suspected that it was either Alecto or Amycus Carrow going to extreme lengths to catch students putting a toe out of line. Snape hoped that all students were in bed for their own sake.

Returning inside, Snape decided to see whether Potter still had a house-elf in his room (for all Snape knew since he was asleep, the cracking sound could have meant someone Apparating or Dispparating plus he was mildly curious about Potter's plans to destroy the Dark Lord). Snape walked all the way to the boy's room and peeked inside, seeing no occupants but Potter himself. Snape let the door slowly swing open, a sense of foreboding taking over. He knew that this was not panic; it was his instincts alerting him. He crept inside, his eyes darting from one end of the room to the next. His eyes fell on Potter, who was clearly rendered deaf with sleep. It couldn't be him again, could it? Snape could not help but feel that it was.

He approached Potter and was quick to notice that the boy's breathing was rather shallow. A sheen of sweat was visible underneath his fringe as it stuck to his forehead. Worried, Snape lightly touched Potter's cheek and was surprised to find the boy feeling clammy. As he wondered what could be possibly causing this (Potter had been fine about two hours ago), Snape caught the sight of something gold glimmering in the moonlight around Potter's neck. Snape squinted through the darkness and recognized the chain from Salazar Slytherin's locket.

_Idiot boy!_ Snape thought angrily. _What on earth were you thinking, wearing a piece of the Dark Lord's soul? I'm surprised it hasn't sprung to life and strangled you._

Snape felt around the chain but found no clasp. Swearing slightly under his breath, he gently lifted the chain over Potter's head and pulled the locket away. The effect was immediate: Potter's breathing eased and the bit of color that was missing returned. Snape clutched the locket and felt a small pulse emanating from it. Disgusted, he placed it on the table next to Potter's glasses.

_Don't do anything as idiotic as that again_, Snape thought. But knowing Potter, he was most likely to repeat his actions. Snape was tempted to fetch the sword of Gryffindor and dispose of the Horcrux himself. But, since Dumbledore had a very specific plan, Snape had to wait for Potter to discover the precious weapon on his own.

**One Horcrux found, three to go! Let's destroy them ASAP!**


	10. The gamekeeper's hut

Professor McGonagall was rushing down the Hogwarts grounds' slopping lawns. She was on her way to Hagrid's hut. She had requested a quick late-night meeting with the gamekeeper and he had heartily agreed to welcome her into his home. She had wanted to wait a week after the term had started before meeting with her colleagues individually but after seeing the changes that were being made in the school she had decided that it could not wait.

Professor McGonagall glanced up at the window that was once Dumbledore's bedroom. She missed being in her lover's arms and lying in bed together as he covered her with gentle kisses, the way Dumbledore would always look at her, their small outings in Hogsmeade and so much more. Even though it was dark in Dumbledore's room, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but feel that she was being watched by the room's new occupant, Snape. She secured the hood of her cloak and continued her way.

She reached Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door. Hagrid's boarhound Fang's booming bark tore at the night's silence, making Professor McGonagall jump. The door opened and the gamekeeper greeted her with a smile.

"Good evenin', Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

"Good evening, Hagrid," Professor McGonagall replied briskly. "May I come in?"

"O' course." Hagrid stepped aside and Professor McGonagall went inside and she was startled to see Professors Sprout, Flitwick, Trelawney, Sinistra and Slughorn in the crammed space. They were all either sitting in a chair or on the floor by the fireplace, looking tired but alert. Professor McGonagall eyed them all closely as she unfastened her cloak.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked as Hagrid slipped her cloak off her shoulders and hung it on the wall nearby.

"Hagrid has told us that you were meeting with him so we have decided to join you," Professor Sprout replied in a business-like manner.

"I was going to speak with each and every one of you individually in order not cause suspicion by having several people going to the same place at once," Professor McGonagall said, glaring at Hagrid.

"I can perform an impeccable Disillusionment Charm," Professor Flitwick piped up. "No one can detect us."

"Hm." Professor McGonagall pursed her lips into a thin line. Her colleagues really ought to know better than to sneak around at night so freely with Death Eaters running about. It did not matter that they were all adept at magic, it was too dangerous for everyone to do as they liked.

"What about _you_, Sybill? You hardly leave your tower and we are seven in this hut. Isn't an uneven number supposed to be bad luck?" Professor McGonagall remarked dryly as Professor Slughorn offered her his seat. "Thank you, Horace," she added as she sat.

"Hmph," Professor Trelawney huffed, pulling her shawls closer to her body. "My Inner Eye has told me to come here tonight and to warn you that you are in grave danger, Minerva!"

"Tell me that when the entire wizarding _and_ Muggle worlds aren't in peril," Professor McGonagall snapped, earning a laugh that was hastily turned into a cough from Hagrid. Professor Trelawney scowled.

"What was it that needed to be discussed, Minerva?" Professor Sinistra asked.

"This school. It is only day one and it's already out of hand! The Carrows are forcing the students to practice the Cruciatus Curse on each other and anyone who dares to confront them will receive a severe beating as a punishment. When Neville Longbottom walked into my class he had a giant bruise on the side of his face. When I had asked him what had happened he told me that he had defended a couple if first-years and the Carrows had punished him for it."

Professor McGonagall noticed that Professor Sprout had curled her hands into fists. Professor McGonagall knew that her colleague was very fond of Mr Longbottom due to his affinity in Herbology. Professor Flitwick suddenly looked even tinier than one could possible imagine in Hagrid's enormous armchair while Professor Sinistra was tight-lipped. Professors Trelawney and Slughorn were white-faced as Hagrid kept pouring tea into an overflowing cup without noticing. Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, did.

"_Hagrid!_" she exclaimed shrilly. "Your tea!"

Hagrid looked down and gave a start. As he quickly set the kettle down and searched for something to mop up the scorching liquid, Professor Slughorn took out his wand.

"Never mind, Hagrid," he said. "_Evanesco_."

The spilt tea vanished and Hagrid thanked the Potions master.

"Not a problem," Professor Slughorn said. He turned to Professor McGonagall. "How will we protect the students? I can tell you right now that the Slytherin students are more than fine; the Carrows favor them."

"Of course they do," Professor McGonagall replied irritably. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Carrows are secretly teaching the Slytherins a few extra tricks in the Dark Arts."

"They are," Professor Sinistra chimed in. "I caught Misters Crabbe and Goyle trying to cast a Fiendfyre in an empty classroom as I was making my rounds before coming here. Those two aren't intelligent enough to come across such a curse by themselves."

"Dear Lord! A Fiendfyre! It can't be worse than that," Professor Trelawney said faintly.

"Oh, it will become worse. I sense a Killing Curse lesson in the works," Professor Flitwick said gravely.

"An' without Dumbledore around, yer guaranteed that this won't be sorted out anytime soon," Hagrid added. "Next thing yer know there'll be killins' next!"

Professor McGonagall's eyes pricked at the sound of Dumbledore's name and she shook her head. She was _not_ going to cry here in front of everyone.

"No," she replied, her voice trembling. "No one else will die on these grounds."

Professor Sprout, who was sitting at Professor McGonagall's feet, patted the Transfiguration teacher's hand in a sympathetic manner.

"Albus's death still hurts, doesn't it, Minerva? We all know how special you were to one another," Professor Sprout said gently.

"It still does, Pomona. It still does," Professor McGonagall replied.

"Do not worry, Minerva. We will make sure Snape pays for what he has done. Until then, we are all here for you," Professor Flitwick added kindly as everyone else nodded.

"Thank you, Filius, and everyone else as well," Professor McGonagall said, touched. She turned to Professor Slughorn. "I haven't forgotten your question," she added apologetically. "I do not know how we can help the students without making the situation worse, Horace. If we heal them, they will return with worse injuries. If we defend them, the abuse will become worse and we'll be putting them in bigger danger along with ourselves. I am truly at a lost at what to do."

"So am I," Professor Slughorn sighed. "I have thought of everything during the summer when I had heard Snape was now headmaster and that the Carrows would be in charge of discipline and everything kept leading to having the students harmed further. I want to protect them but what is the point if it will just result in having them in a worse condition than they had started?"

"I can't ask the centaurs to help us. They think helpin' us is servin' us and they're quite rowdy. The Acromantula in there are workin' for You-Know-Who too," Hagrid said sadly.

"All monst – _creatures _are working for You-Know-Who now," Professor McGonagall replied, catching herself as she remembered Hagrid's abnormal view of what was dangerous. "Especially the Dementors. They believe that they will have a better life with You-Know-Who in charge. I strongly doubt that; they are just pawns in his plans. He really couldn't care less about them."

"That's not fair! They have feelins' too!" Hagrid roared angrily.

"We've noticed," Professor McGonagall said briskly. "Keep your voice down, Hagrid. Who knows what could be lurking around outside."

"The Inner Eye senses more danger to come," Professor Trelawney said in a mystified voice, gazing into a crystal ball. Where she had produced such an object was anyone's guess.

"Sybill, kindly put that thing away," Professor Sinistra said, annoyed.

Professor Trelawney looked affronted.

"There is no need for insult, Aurora," she replied coolly. "The Inner Eye predicts everything! It –"

"No one needs to be a Seer in order to predict danger in these dark times!" Professor Sinistra snapped. "The only thing that crystal ball of yours shows is white mist which can only mean that there's going to be a lot of fog tonight."

Forgetting about being discreet, everyone but Professor Trelawney laughed. Professor McGonagall was the first to recover and she quickly urged everyone to follow. Once they did, she readdressed the matter at hand.

"Can anyone find a way to protect the students without causing more damage?" Professor McGonagall.

The other professors remained silent. Slightly disheartened, Professor McGonagall sank into her chair. What were they going to do? Any form of rebellion (or common sense for that matter) would most likely get them all killed. If only Snape could be removed from his position as headmaster; then _some_ progress may be made. Speaking of Snape –

"We need to besiege Snape as quickly as we can," Professor McGonagall declared abruptly. "Any ideas?"

Professor Slughorn shook his head.

"I still can't believe that Snape murdered Albus," he replied miserably. "I taught Snape! I thought I knew him!"

"We _all_ taught him, Horace. Well, all of us except for Sybill and Hagrid," Professor Flitwick said, nodding his head toward Professor Trelawney and Hagrid.

"An' I'm glad I didn't," Hagrid growled angrily. "I remember watchin' 'im skulk around the grounds and hang around bad influences like Avery an' Nott. I shoulda known he was goin' down the Dark path."

"What has Albus ever _seen_ in Snape? What has Snape ever done to earn his trust?" Professor Sprout inquired.

"That… remains a mystery and probably will be that way forever. The only two people who can provide us the answer are unavailable: one is dead and the other is our enemy," Professor Sinistra replied grimly.

"I sense –" Professor Trelawney began but she was silenced by Professor McGonagall's deadliest glare. Clearing her throat, Professor Trelawney said," I think that we ought to lay low for the moment. We need more and stronger defenses. Snape is incredibly powerful and very knowledgeable in the Dark Arts; our forces aren't strong enough to face the terrifying vastness of Dark Magic in these grounds yet."

Everyone stared at her. Had Professor Trelawney just acted _normal_? She was sitting upright in her seat and her dreamy expression had gone. The tone she had used had been clear and steady. Professor McGonagall couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"G-Good point, Sybill," she stammered. Professor Trelawney looked satisfied and she returned to gazing into her crystal ball.

"What point? To do nothing? Minerva, you can't be serious," Professor Sinistra said in disbelief.

"Aurora, the Dark forces have invaded us! We are not strong enough; we need bigger numbers on our side," Professor Sprout answered in Professor McGonagall's stead.

"But –"

"I don't think it'll do yer any good to argue, Professor Sinistra," Hagrid said reasonably. "We don't wanna do anythin' that might risk the students' lives."

Professor Sinistra fell silent and Professor Slughorn turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Anything else, Minerva?" he asked quietly.

"No, I believe that is all," Professor McGonagall replied.

"So, all in all, tip toe around Snape and the Carrows?" Professor Flitwick summarized.

"Well, I came here looking for answers but we couldn't find any. My suggestion is that we try to help the students as much as we can without putting anyone in more danger if possible," Professor McGonagall said.

Everyone muttered in agreement and began rummaging around for their cloaks. Professor Slughorn got to his feet and offered his hand to Professor McGonagall. She took it and he helped her to her feet. He then went to fetch her cloak and returned. Professor McGonagall watched in astonishment as Professor Slughorn draped her shoulders and fastened her cloak before putting on his own cloak. Soon, everybody but Hagrid was ready to leave.

"Who wants a Disillusionment Charm?" Professor Filtwick asked, taking his wand out.

"No, thank you," Professor McGonagall said as most of her colleagues surrounded the tiny professor. "I'll go on ahead."

Biding everyone goodnight, she left the hut. As she crossed the grounds, she heard someone running toward her and linked their arm to hers and grasped her hand. Professor McGonagall permitted a small gasp to escape her and she turned her head. Much to her relief, it was only Professor Slughorn. Professor McGonagall stopped in her tracks and gazed at him questioningly.

"The night Albus died," Professor Slughorn said softly, gripping her hand, "he had asked me to take care of you. I did not understand why he would ask me such a thing at first but the events of that night had given me the answer. It was like he knew, Minerva. He knew he was going to die that night; why else would Albus ask this favor from me?"

"I think you are right," Professor McGonagall whispered. "Thank you," she added meaningfully.

Professor Slughorn smiled and together they returned silently to the castle undetected.

**PLEASE READ: Okay, before anyone says it, yes I know Dumbledore was gay in the actual story. But remember, this is a fanfiction so not everything will be identical to the series. I've always liked the idea of Dumbledore/McGonagall anyway. :)**


	11. Escape

Things were soon left at a standstill for the next few months. Not much could be done and the enemy seemed to have the upper hand, sending the wizarding community further into its state of terror, which was slowly turning into paranoia. More people died each and every day and the Order of the Phoenix seemed to have scattered in the winds. And more importantly, Harry Potter was nowhere in sight.

Harry sighed heavily as he sat by the window of his room, watching the snow fall. According to Dobby, who has been flitting between Hogwarts and Grimmauld Place, Death Eaters were now stationed at the Ancient House of Black, guarding its entrance, and Ron and Hermione were trapped inside. Harry should have known that Voldemort would send people to watch over that building even if it could not be seen by anyone except its Secret Keepers; it seemed like the most obvious thing to do in the world.

The wind outside blew harder, making the snowflakes swirl faster and the windows rattle. Harry unconsciously traced the serpentine 'S' on Slytherin's locket with his fingertip as he held the golden object in his hands, pondering over his conversations with Dumbledore. The late headmaster had been hinting at who knew what and Harry had so far been unable to catch on. Finally, after weeks of giving out clues, Dumbledore had decided to be straightforward and had said, "Look behind things and you will find what you seek." And which of those objects Harry was looking for would that be?

The Chosen One had made it his task to find out. He had begun with his own room, tearing it apart in a way that would have made Aunt Petunia faint with horror. But he had found nothing; Harry was not even sure what he was looking for. Certainly, he had told Dumbledore that he was searching for a mean to destroy Horcruxes as well as the _other_ Horcruxes but knowing Dumbledore, there might be something else that Harry was meant to find. Dumbledore's hints could have gone in either direction.

Maybe he had hidden the other Horcruxes in the office as well? If that was the case, Harry would have to go berserk on the late headmaster for sending him on a wild goose chase for no reason. The Chosen One had assumed that Dumbledore had not known about the locket in his office, which was why Harry had not been angry with him. Why else would Dumbledore drink that terrible potion and weaken himself? But if the cup and the diadem were also in this office, someone will have to restrain Harry from attacking Dumbledore's canvas.

Or, by some chance, Dumbledore had hidden the key to the lock of the glass case containing the sword of Gryffindor. Dumbledore had revealed that the sword was impregnated with basilisk venom, a very destructive substance. The lock on the case could not be undone with a spell so the key was the only _silent_ way of getting the sword out. Harry had taken his solitude as an opportunity to go through Dumbledore's countless spell books and learned a duplication spell. Snape wouldl never know where the sword had gone.

Harry got to his feet and went downstairs. He ached to go outside and watching the snow fall certainly did not ease his need. He had to continue his search for whatever he was looking for. The biggest part of him was hoping to find that key; he just wanted to get rid of the piece of Voldemort's soul that was now stuffed in his pocket more than anything. It was bad enough to see into the Dark Lord's mind without carrying a part of him everywhere he went.

Harry had just set foot in the study when he heard the doorknob in the office door turn. He dove underneath the desk, and felt his scar prickle slightly but he paid no attention. He cared more about being caught wandering about in the office. Snape now had a new rule: do not leave the bedroom while he was absent. Harry did not know what the older man was playing at; it was not like he could go anywhere. But at least he was still alive and unhurt. For now, anyway.

The door swung open and Harry held his breath, listening intently. The door clicked shut and soft footsteps moved around the office. Harry gripped his wand from within his robes in case he was discovered.

"That was a neat little trick with the door. A Muggle invention, I suppose?"

Harry froze. _Neville?_

"Yep. Fred and George have learnt lock picking ages ago and they've passed that knowledge on to me."

Harry inhaled a sharp gasp as his heart nearly failed him. He knew that voice from anywhere. _Ginny_, he thought, trembling slightly.

"Looks like no one's here. Let's take the bloody sword and get out."

Seamus too? And they were trying to steal the sword? As much as Harry appreciated what they were doing, he couldn't let them go through with their plan. He needed that sword.

"How will we open the case? Should Ginny do that Muggle trick again or should we smash the case open?" Neville asked.

"Lock picking might take too long. I say we destroy the case," Seamus replied eagerly.

"And attract attention to ourselves? Are you mad? We're picking the lock," Ginny said determinedly.

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He crawled out from underneath the desk and stood on his feet.

"What are you guys doing, standing around here? If Snape catches you, you're all dead and I mean that in the literal sense!" Harry exclaimed urgently.

The looks on his friends' faces went from completely serious to utterly shocked. If the situation had not been so grave Harry would have found this very funny. But he needed them to leave the office and return to Gryffindor Tower on the behalf of their own safety.

Ginny was the one who recovered first. "_Harry!_" she cried. She rushed toward him and threw her arms around his neck. Harry gave her a quick peck on the lips before focusing his attention on Neville and Seamus.

"Blimey, Harry! What are you doing here?" Seamus inquired in disbelief. "Shouldn't you be on the run?"

"I would have been if it hasn't been for Snape capturing me and locking me in here with no way out," Harry replied as Ginny released him and took his hand.

"How the bloody hell did Snape catch _you_?" Neville wanted to know.

"Never mind that. It's a long story and I don't have time to explain it. You guys have to get out of here; Snape could be back any minute."

"No way. We're not leaving without that sword _or_ you," Ginny said defiantly.

"What –?" Harry began, nonplussed. "I have to stay. Dumbledore," he turned around and gazed at the late headmaster's empty portrait, "has hinted that he has left things for me to find in this office and I have to stay in order to look for them," Harry added.

"No, you're not," Ginny told him sternly. "You're not staying. You can come back for those things later."

"But –"

"Ginny's right, mate," Neville intervened. "Snape's obviously keeping you in one piece for You-Know-Who and who knows when Snape will get the order to deliver you. It could be in a couple of months as much as it could be tonight. You have to stick with us for your own good."

"He cares more about our welfare rather than his own," Ginny commented.

"And for a good reason," Harry said, frowning at her. "Look, I don't know –"

"Harry, please, for once be a little more selfish and think about your own safety," Seamus chimed in reasonably.

Harry met the other boys' grave expressions and then he caught Ginny's gaze. Her pleading eyes bored into his and Harry felt his resolution break. He sighed in defeat and Ginny squeezed his hand, causing him to smile a little. She knew him well.

"Fine, I'll come with you but you'll have to hide me good," Harry said, "and find a way to break in here again."

"We can do that," Neville said, smiling. "Now, what about the sword? We can't leave without it?"

"Let's just break the glass. I know a good spell that can blow this baby up," Seamus added as he pointed at the case, visibly proud of his ability to make things explode.

"Or maybe you can leave it intact."

Ginny gasped as Harry shielded her with his body. Snape had entered the office unnoticed by either of them. His pallid face was livid and his teeth were bared. It was a scary sight.

"Decided to have a small party while I was gone, Potter? I knew that breaking the rules is a specialty of yours but I did not think that you would be stupid enough to drag other people into your fight," Snape sneered coldly. "As for you three," he added, addressing himself to Ginny, Neville, and Seamus, "you know the consequences for disobedience. I will have to send a message to one of our new professors."

Snape took out his wand but Neville was quicker: he pulled out his own wand and yelled, "_Expelliarmus_!" Snape's wand flew out of his hand and he looked momentarily astonished. Harry used his former professor's brief lapse in concentration to his advantage and pointed his wand at Snape, yelling, "_Stupefy_!"

But he wasn't the only one who had shouted. Three other voices had joined his and four Stunners hit Snape, sending him crashing into the wall. He then fell to the floor, where he laid unmoving. The portraits of headmasters and headmistresses past cheered as the Gryffindors stared at what they have done.

"Well, if we're not dead now we'll certainly be later," Neville said.

"Is _he_ dead?" Ginny asked in a small voice.

Seamus bent over Snape and took his wrist.

"Nope, he's still got a pulse," Seamus replied, straightening up. "He's just knocked out cold."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" a voice said from above, making them jump. They looked up and discovered that it was the portrait of Professor Armando Dippet that was speaking to them. "Get out of here!" he exclaimed urgently.

"He's right," Harry said. "Let's go."

They were all almost out of the office when Harry paused at the threshold, remembering something.

"Hang on," he said. Pointing his wand, he added, "_Accio,_ _Sorting Hat_!"

The Sorting Hat flew off its shelf and it zoomed toward Harry. He expertly caught it with one hand and went down the spiral staircase.

"What do we need the Sorting Hat for?" Ginny asked curiously as Harry joined them in the corridor.

"I'll explain later," Harry replied hurriedly. "But right now let's get out of sight."

The others nodded and they rushed down the corridors as silently as they could. Harry, despite being elated at finally being freed, couldn't help but notice how gloomy the castle seemed to have become. With a sinking feeling, he realized that Hogwarts had changed much more than he had anticipated, making him even more determined to end this war once and for all.

**Sorry it took so long to update! With exams and the holidays, I was a bit busy. **


	12. Taking action

Ron was pacing up and down the kitchen, his mind working furiously. It has been three months since the Death Eaters have placed themselves in front of Grimmauld Place and they were showing no signs of giving up. They just stood there, day in and day out, with one facing the street and the other facing the door he could not see. The good thing about that was that the Death Eaters did not know how to access the house. What was bad was the fact that they were blocking the only exit.

The young ginger paused as he listened to Hermione's hurried footsteps on the floor above. She has been restless all day and kept moving from one end of the house to the next. What was she up to? She did not have a library to work with, which made her slightly irritable, and she continuously had whispered conversations with Dobby. Ron was a little worried about her.

The footsteps were now speeding down the stairs and Hermione appeared at the kitchen's threshold. Ron gazed at her as she threw her small beaded bag on the table and it landed with a loud _clunk_. Hermione was slightly out of breath and her hair was a bit of a mess. She plunged her arm into her bag and pulled out two bundles of materials. She threw one at Ron and he caught it, discovering that it was a cloak as he unfolded it.

"Put that on," Hermione ordered as she checked the contents of her beaded bag one last time before she swung it across her body.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Ron asked, slightly wary, as he draped his shoulders.

"We're getting out of here," she replied as she fastened her own cloak.

"Uh, did you forget something? There are _Death Eaters_ outside!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione glowered at him.

"Of course I haven't forgotten," she replied coolly. "I have a plan or should I say _we_ have a plan."

"'We'? Who's 'we'? It's certainly not you and me."

_Crack!_

Right on cue, Dobby appeared before them. Being used to the house-elf's sudden appearances, Ron and Hermione did not even flinch. Dobby bowed to each to them in turn.

"Dobby is here and is ready to work," he squeaked eagerly.

Ron gaped at Hermione.

"You're putting Dobby to work? A _house-elf_ to work?" he said, not believing what he was seeing. "What about S.P.E.W.?"

"I'm not proud of it," Hermione replied. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

She turned to Dobby. "You know what to do," Hermione said fervently. "Ron and I will be at the front door waiting for your signal."

"Yes, miss! Dobby is on it!" Dobby exclaimed and he disappeared again.

"What signal?" Ron asked, completely lost.

"No time to explain. C'mon!" Hermione replied. She grabbed Ron's hand, much to his surprised, and dragged him all the way to the front door. She crouched down, bringing Ron down with her, and waited.

The minutes seemed to pass by slowly and the further they waited, the more aware Ron became of the hand that was still in Hermione's. It might be partially because she was squeezing his hand rather hard but Ron knew that wasn't it. If he were not so confused about Hermione's plan he might have enjoyed having her hold his hand. But he then remembered that Hermione had also held Harry's hand in nerve-wracking situations. That dashed Ron's hopes further down.

After what seemed like ages, someone knocked on the door twice, making Ron and Hermione jump after spending minutes in a tensed silence. Then whoever was outside knocked three times then twice again. Hermione released Ron's hand and jumped to her feet. She opened the door by a fraction then flung it open, revealing Dobby.

"Everything has been taken care of, Miss Granger!" Dobby said excitedly. "Dobby has even made sure there is no one else around."

Ron peered outside. Lying on the sidewalk were two unconscious Death Eaters with their wands snapped in half by their sides. Ron looked at Hermione, who was eyeing the enemy with an air of satisfaction, with wide eyes.

"This turned out better than I have expected," Hermione said, smiling. "Thanks, Dobby."

"Dobby is more than happy to help," Dobby replied, bowing to her. "Miss Granger can always call on Dobby for assistant."

"You snapped their wands in half," Ron said as he finally got on his feet.

"That was merely a safety precaution, sir," Dobby said. "In case they wake a bit earlier than predicted."

"Good thinking," Hermione remarked in approval. "We need to get going now. We'll meet you inside the castle, Dobby."

Dobby grinned. "Dobby cannot wait!" he exclaimed cheerfully. He bowed to them again and disappeared with a loud _crack!_ Ron stared at where Dobby had been standing before turning to Hermione.

"So that's what you've been up to?" he asked weakly. "Plotting our exit?"

"Yep, and it turned out to be quite simply, really," Hermione replied casually. "Come on, let's go."

She grasped Ron's hand again and together they Disapparated on the front steps, leaving their only known security behind.

* * *

><p>Snape slowly opened his eyes and stared groggily around the room. His head – no, his entire<em> body<em> – hurt. Snape then remembered that Potter and his friends had Stunned him. _A__gain_. Carefully getting on his feet, Snape vowed to give those teenagers a lesson they would never forget once the war was over.

"Severus! Oh thank goodness!'

Snape followed the direction of the voice came from and found a frantic-looking Dumbledore standing in his portrait. Snape slowly approached him, his balance slightly off.

"Albus?" Snape said, collapsing onto the desk chair.

"Severus, what happened? I had left my portrait to visit Minerva at her quarters and when I came back I found you unconscious and the door wide open!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

Snape quickly turned around in his chair – regretting the action soon after as his it made his head spin – and saw that the office door was indeed open. Cursing under his breath, Snape took his time to turn back to Dumbledore.

"They've escaped," Snape mumbled.

"Sorry?"

"I said they've escaped!" Snape exclaimed loudly, slamming his fist on the chair. "The Weasley girl, Longbottom, and Finnigan all came to steal the sword of Gryffindor, or the fake one I should say," he added, gesturing at the glittering sword in the glass case, "and took Potter with them! I bet even your brilliant mind didn't predict _that_."

The astounded look on Dumbledore's face gave Snape his answer. It was then the late headmaster's turn to collapse onto his chair and he looked weary.

"Is the real sword still behind my canvas?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"It should be," Snape replied, getting up. He pulled the canvas open and saw that the sword was still in its place. Snape pressed the canvas back against the wall and returned to his seat.

"Yes," Snape said softly.

Dumbledore nodded as he eyed his colleague through tired eyes.

"You need to bring Harry back, Severus," he said after a moment of silence. "You must."

"As if he would want to come back," Snape replied dryly.

"Severus," Dumbledore said sternly.

"I never said that I wouldn't try! Harry will most likely have to be dragged back kicking and screaming."

"That is to be expected."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I can see Hufflepuff's cup from here which can only mean Harry has left the office before gathering the Horcruxes. My advice is for you to stay vigilant and lock Harry back in when he comes back for the diadem and the cup. It's too dangerous for him to be wandering around Hogwarts."

"What about the locket?"

"Harry has found it."

"Well, at least there's that." Snape sighed heavily.

"So you will keep an eye on him?" Dumbledore asked expectantly.

"Him and everything else," Snape replied.

**Ron and Hermione are on there way! Will they be able to reach Harry? Stay tuned to find out.**

**Thanks for the reviews! They're much appreciated.**


	13. Hog's Head

_If I had known we would be Apparating into knee-deep of snow I would have worn a snowsuit_, Hermione thought as she and Ron materialized within Hogsmeade's boundaries. No sooner than when they had set foot in the village, a loud wailing sound was heard from all over. Hermione let out a small curse word as she realized what it was.

"It's a Caterwauling Charm!" she yelled at Ron over the noise. "We've got to hide!"

"Where?" Ron yelled back.

Hermione was quick to notice that the Hog's Head was the closest building nearby. She grabbed Ron and they both ran toward the pub. The door was thankfully unlocked and they hurried inside, hiding underneath the windows as Death Eaters spilled out onto the streets.

"Someone's around here!"

"They can't have gone too far!"

"We'll search this end of the village. You lot search the other."

The sound of snow crunching under feet faded away. Ron and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief but their moment of relaxation was short-lived. Footsteps were coming down the stairs, making them creak loudly, and a yellow glow was illuminating the said stairs. Hermione watched, frozen with terror, as the figure approached them, the lantern it was carrying held low so as its face was completely obscured by the shadows. Hermione felt Ron recoil against her as the light hit them. She gasped as the figure lifted its lantern and revealed its face.

The figure was the owner of the Hog's Head who also happened to be its bartender. But it wasn't the surprise of seeing the elder man that had made Hermione gasp: it was the man's striking resemblance to Dumbledore. They both had the same piercing blue eyes and they bartender also had long hair and a long beard (although not as long as the late headmaster's had been). They might have had the same nose if Dumbledore's hadn't been crooked. The man watched the two teenagers for a few seconds before speaking.

"Come with me," he said quietly. He turned on his heels and returned upstairs. Hermione gingerly got to her feet and pulled Ron onto his. She was about to follow the bartender when she felt a tug on the back of her cloak. Hermione looked over her shoulder and she saw Ron watching her with a worried expression. She read the question in his eyes.

"I don't have a bad feeling about him," Hermione whispered. "He's better than those Death Eaters out there."

"Yeah, but," Ron said softly, "doesn't he _remind_ you of someone?"

So Ron has noticed it, too. "Yes, _Dumbledore_," Hermione replied.

Ron nodded to show his agreement. He then took Hermione's hand – Hermione couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat – and together they cautiously went to the second floor.

This level was well-lit and the man was sitting in an armchair by the fire, waiting them. He gestured for them to sit on the couch facing him and Ron and Hermione welcomed the invitation. The man folded his hands in his lap as he watched them sit.

"You're Potter's friends," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Y-Yes," Hermione stammered nervously. "A-And you're Aberforth, aren't you? Dumbledore's brother?" Ron gave a look that clearly showed that he wondered how she knew that.

"That is correct," Aberforth replied. He leaned forward. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"We came to help Harry. He's trapped inside Hogwarts –"

"I'm aware of that. As much as it is noble of you to come and get him, seeing you will just add another burden on his shoulders. It's too dangerous for you to be here. It's no better for Potter but as I understand it he was brought back to the school against his will. Do yourselves a favor and run off, live a little longer. Potter has other people around here who can help him."

Hermione suddenly realized that her mouth had been hanging open during Aberforth's speech and she snapped it shut. She couldn't believe what she was hearing: she and Ron have finally reached Hogsmeade and they were being told to go back! By Dumbledore's brother out of all people! Hermione had expected that he might have helped them break into Hogwarts or maybe given them a bit of _useful_ advice but he seemed to be very dissimilar to Dumbledore, who would have not hesitated to help them.

"You – You can't mean that," Hermione said in astonishment. "Harry needs us and we're more than willing to fight this war."

"There is no war. You-Know-Who has won; the Order of the Phoenix is finished. Anyone who claims otherwise are fooling themselves and neither of you strike me as a fool, especially if you hang around the likes of Harry Potter, Miss –?" Aberforth said fervently.

"Hermione Granger, sir," Hermione sighed. "And this is Ron Weasley."

"Miss Granger, then," Aberforth continued. "My brother has told me about you. You are the brightest witch of your age and you are a Muggle-born, which means that for you coming here is the equivalent of a suicide mission. You're better off leaving the country and bring Mr Weasley with you."

"You're not Dumbledore's brother in any sense, are you?" Ron said suddenly, looking extremely irritated.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed warningly. He ignored her.

"Your brother would've helped us; he would have not given up. He gave Harry a task to finish and we're tagging along, no matter how hard it is. But now our friend is stuck within the grasp of a murderer and what kind of friends would we be if we didn't do our best to help him? And here you are, telling us to practically trade in Harry's life to save our own. Run away? I don't think so."

A slightly shocked silence followed Ron's words but Hermione was certain that she and Aberforth were shocked for different reasons. If she had not seen Ron's mouth move, she would have not believed that it was he who had spoken. Hermione had never known that Ron was capable of confronting someone with a cool reasoning and use powerful words that left an impact. She felt rather proud of him and her love for him grew.

Aberforth was staring at Ron with slightly wide eyes. It was apparent that he too had not expected those words to come out of Ron's mouth. Aberforth took a few seconds to regain composure and to find an answer to Ron's statement.

"Wise words coming from someone so young," Aberforth finally said. "Who said that I have given up?"

"'There is no war. You-Know-Who has won; the Order of the Phoenix is finished,'" Ron quoted impatiently. "If you haven't given up, you've got a funny way of showing it."

"What I have said is the truth! The Order of the Phoenix has scattered –"

"Only because its members are smart enough to not gather all in one place and attract unwanted attention! Only a stupid prat would even consider staying in a large group and risk everyone's lives. And until there is no one left standing on our side, we'll keep fighting until we either win or die."

Hermione watched Ron and Aberforth glare at each other. She had no idea how passionate Ron was about this war though she had an inkling to why that was. He probably wanted nothing more than to protect those he cared about. His entire family had come into contact with danger at the wedding and he was determined not to let that happen again.

Aberforth's shoulders seemed to sag in defeat under Ron's steady stare. The elder man turned toward a portrait of a young girl that was hanging above the fireplace. She smiled sweetly at him.

"You know what to do," Aberforth said quietly.

The girl nodded and walked away. But instead of walking out of the side of the portrait she was following the path painted on her canvas that led out to the distance. Hermione and Ron looked at Aberforth questioningly.

"That was my sister Arianna," Aberforth said mildly. "She will provide you the help you need."

"Thank you, Mr Dumbledore," Hermione said gratefully. He nodded and left the room, leaving both teenagers to wait upon Arianna.

"Where," Hermione said, turning to Ron, "did all of _that_ come from?"

Ron shrugged. "I guess I just don't appreciate quitters," he replied.

Hermione smiled gently at him. "I don't think he has quit," she said. "I think he just doesn't want us to have the same fate as many other people who have opposed You-Know-Who."

"If you say so," Ron replied. He looked at the portrait. "Hey, she's coming back. Who's that with her?"

Hermione followed his gaze and saw that Arianna was indeed returning and that she was not alone. She was accompanied by a young man and just as they were almost close enough to be identified, the portrait swung open. Ron and Hermione gasped as they recognized Arianna's friend.

"_Neville!_"

**All right! Everyone's at Hogwarts! I think they'll be happy to be reunited once more.**

**Thanks for the reviews! Much appreciated.**


	14. Reunion

The Golden Snitch was zooming around the Room of Requirement, making people laugh as it flew past them and narrowly dodged their reaching hands. Harry had forgotten that he still had the tiny ball in his pockets and he had decided to let the poor thing stretch its wings. There was even a small friendly competition of who could capture the Snitch better than Harry; Gryffindor's star Seeker won every time.

Harry was lying in a hammock, fiddling with the Sorting Hat. As he had explained to his friends, the Sorting Hat would provide the sword of Gryffindor to any true Gryffindor. Harry had wanted to pass the Sorting Hat around to every Gryffindor student but they were absolutely convinced that he was the one who could bring the sword to them. Harry wasn't so sure about that.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were also among the Gryffindors in the Room of Requirement. The room was filled with rebellious students and it seemed to expand every time more joined. Hammocks were substitutes for beds and the house banners (all except for Slytherin) were hanging off the walls. Since the Room of Requirements could not supply food, the house-elves secretly delivered everyone's meals three times a day. None of the students left their sanctuary except for class and for assemblies Snape organized whenever he had a new rule. It was during those times when Harry had the Room to himself.

"Hey, Harry."

Harry, being settled into one of the higher hammocks, looked down and grinned. Ginny, in all her beauty, was standing on the floor below him. She motioned him to come down and he climbed down a ladder, passing by other hammocks. Harry jumped the last steps and took Ginny in his arms.

"You called?" he said happily, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Mm," Ginny replied as Harry kissed her neck. "I felt like hanging out with my boyfriend. That's not a problem, I hope?"

"It never is."

"That's good to hear."

Harry bent down and pressed his lips against Ginny's. She kissed him back fiercely and she began to push against him, forcing him to take a few steps backwards. Harry felt something hit him on the back of his legs and his knees buckled. He fell on a cushioned bench, bringing Ginny down with him. Harry then let out a small gasp as Ginny's hand found its way under his shirt.

"Ginny … there are _people_ here," Harry moaned, arching his back slightly as Ginny found a small ticklish area on his lower back.

She pulled away and her brown eyes met with his green ones. "Please," Ginny replied breathlessly, "this is _nothing_ compared to the display Seamus and Lavender had put up last week. Consider yourself fortunate that you've missed it."

"She's not wrong," Colin Creevey yelled from the other end of the room, causing a few people to snigger. Harry blushed as Ginny kissed his jaw line, suddenly _very_ aware of those watching them.

"G-_Ginny_," he pleaded, shyness winning over desire. Ginny settled herself next to him and took his hand.

"Sorry, I got carried away," she whispered. "I couldn't help it; I've missed you so much. Plus, it's quite an attractive sight to see you in normal clothing."

Harry looked down at himself. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a pair of sneakers and a sweatshirt with a t-shirt underneath that had been provided by Dumbledore's brother Aberforth. Where the elder man had gotten his hands on Muggle clothing was anyone's guess but Harry was glad to be finally out of those ridiculous robes Snape had forced him to wear. Once he had taken his few possessions out – his wand, his Invisibility Cloak, the Marauder's Map and the Golden Snitch – Harry had thrown the robes into the Room of Requirement's fireplace and everyone had cheered as they burned.

"Thanks," Harry replied timidly, flushing a bit more. When he noticed that there were still people nearby watching them, he straightened up and said in a steady voice, "Go on, show's over. Nothing to see here so move out!"

The crowd dispersed, giggling. Harry leaned against the wall and Ginny curled up to him.

"Strange," Harry said as he stroked her flaming hair. "I felt normal there for a minute."

"How so?" Ginny asked.

"Telling people to mind their own business seems like such an ordinary problem," Harry replied. "And, of course, kissing you feels like there are no problems in this world at all," he added.

"Well, when this war's over you'll be able to live your life as normally as you want to."

"If You-Know-Who doesn't kill me first."

"Don't say that. He won't kill you; we won't let him."

"Thank you."

"So, what were you looking for in Dumbledore's office? You said that he's left you stuff to find," Ginny wanted to know.

"He was pretty cryptic about it, to be honest. At first I was looking for a way to get the sword of Gryffindor," Harry said thoughtfully.

"You've got one now. Not the easiest route to it but it's better than nothing," Ginny said, tracing lines on Harry's chest with her fingers. He closed his eyes and continued.

"But I'm also looking for something that will help destroy You-Know-Who. There's more than one object and they're easily concealed so they can be anywhere in that damn office," Harry said, opening his eyes after speaking.

"Do you know what those objects are?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you. Dumbledore made me swear not to tell anyone except for Ron and Hermione."

Ginny nodded to show that she understood.

"This time, however, you won't be going back to Dumbledore's office alone. We'll come with you and don't bother telling us no because we won't listen. Snape will try to capture you again and you'll need assistance when that happens," she said in a final sort of way.

Harry groaned. He had been afraid of this but he knew that once Ginny had made her mind up there was no possible way of changing it. Harry would have to work three times as hard to keep his friends safe.

"I wonder where Neville's at. It usually doesn't take him this long to bring snacks back from Ab," Dean suddenly said, sitting in a corner with Pavarti Patil.

"I'm sure he won't be long and besides, he hasn't gone for snacks; _you_ made that request. He went because Arianna summoned him," Parvati replied, turning a page from the book she was reading.

"Well, might as well ask for a bit of food while he's there," Dean said in his defense. "The house-elves can only come here during mealtime so they don't cause suspicion."

"An accomplishment that still surprises me," Cho Chang, who had returned to Hogwarts along with a few other graduates to support the rebellion, said as she played Wizard's Chess with Michael Corner.

"Where do you graduates go when class is in session?" Harry asked curiously. "You never stay in the Room."

"We blend in with the other students," Angelina Johnson replied, entwined with Fred Weasley as his brother George gave out some of their Weasley Wizard Wheezes products in case they needed a quick getaway from the Death Eaters.

"Aren't you afraid that someone will recognize you?" Harry inquired.

"Oh, the teachers recognize us all right. But the Carrows don't know us and since Snape's too busy looking for 'unruly' students the obvious slips right pass him. So it's all good," Fred answered.

"And the Muggle-borns?" Harry pressed on. "They were all expelled."

"We just avoid the Darks Arts class," Dennis Creevey piped up. "It's not easy but manageable."

"You guys really ought to stay in the Room of Requirement," Harry said sternly. "It's safer."

"Hey, what the Death Eaters don't know can't hurt them," Dean said, shrugging.

"You mean what the Death Eaters don't know can't hurt _you_ –"

"Blimey, Neville's back!" Seamus exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

Everyone quickly gathered underneath the portrait that hung over the fireplace, eager to know why Neville had been summoned. Harry then noticed that Neville was with two other people. He wasn't the only one who saw this and there was an excited murmur that swept across the crowd. The portrait swung open and Neville appeared but he was blocking from view whoever he was with.

"Hey, guys. I have a surprise for you guys," Neville said brightly.

"There better not be any more of Aberforth's cooking in that bag, Neville," Seamus said, eyeing the plastic bag Neville was carrying with a wary expression. "We can't take much more of it."

"Amen to that!" Dean exclaimed in agreement, causing everyone to chortle.

"Don't worry," Neville assured them as the laughter died down. "I've brought normal food. The surprise I was talking about was this."

He stepped aside and Ron and Hermione moved forward. Harry's mouth fell open in shock as the entire room cheered at the sight of his best friends the same way they had a few days ago when he had first entered the Room of Requirement. He watched Hermione's inquisitive eyes scan the room and they soon landed on him.

"_Harry!_" she cried out in joy and relief. Ron quickly turned at the sound of Harry's name and he grinned broadly when he saw his best friend. The Chosen One fought through the crowd as Ron, Hermione, and Neville climbed down a ladder that was leaning against the fireplace mantel.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed once again as she threw her arms around him. Harry embraced her tightly and she surprised him by planting a kiss on his cheek. Harry chanced a glance at Ron and was relieved to see him surrounded by Fred, George, and Ginny; Harry doubted that Ron would have taken that kiss lightly.

Ron broke away from his siblings and joined his best friends. He gave Harry a quick hug as tears of happiness spilled out of Hermione's eyes.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece, mate," Ron said, thumping Harry on the back.

"The way you're talking you'd think it was in Snape's plans to mutilate me," Harry replied, rolling his eyes with a smile.

"We're so glad that you're okay, Harry," Hermione said happily, wiping her eyes. "But how did you escape your prison?"

Harry pointed at Ginny, Neville, and Seamus in turn.

"They had come in to steal the sword of Gryffindor but ended up leaving with me," Harry explained. "Well, me and the Sorting Hat."

"The Sorting Hat?" Hermione blinked.

Harry pointed his wand at his hammock and said, "_Accio, Sorting Hat!_"

The magical object flew toward him and he caught it. He gave it to Hermione, who took it uncertainly.

"Uh, why would you take the Sorting Hat?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"The sword of Gryffindor appears to any true Gryffindor through it, remember?" Harry replied.

"Of _course_. How could I have forgotten?" Hermione said. "I'm clearly not it. Here, Ron." She forced the hat into Ron's hand.

He shook his head. "Nope," Ron said. He lowered his voice. "Can the sword destroy Horcruxes?" he added.

Harry nodded. "It contains basilisk venom," he explained softly.

"I've read about that. Basilisk venom is an incredibly destructive substance: one drop in your system and you're finished," Hermione said in a hurried whisper. "There's only one antidote and it's extremely rare."

"Phoenix tears," Harry stated. "Believe me, I would know. I got to see first-hand how fast that venom works."

"But how did the sword of Gryffindor get some in it?" Ron asked.

"It's goblin-made," Hermione explained matter-of-factly. "It only takes in what makes it stronger. When Harry stabbed the basilisk, the sword took some of its venom, making it our primary weapon against Horcruxes."

"Speaking of Horcruxes," Harry said, pulling the locket out of his pocket. His friends gasped at the sight of it.

"Where? How?" Hermione wanted to know as Ron gripped the Sorting Hat. Harry pried it out of his hands before he suffocated it, if it could even breathe.

"I found it in Dumbledore's office. Don't ask me how it got there but I doubt even Dumbledore knew about it. But Hufflepuff's cup and Ravenclaw's diadem on the other hand might be a different story."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been talking with Dumbledore's portrait and he's told me what two of the last three Horcruxes were but he's also hinted that they were in his office as well, albeit those hints were vague."

"Wait, let me get this straight: you have to go _back_ there?" Ron concluded incredulously.

"We have no choice, Ron," Hermione answered in Harry's stead. "We need those Horcruxes and we must go to any lengths to get them even if it means walking straight into enemy territory."

"Glad to see you agree, Hermione," Harry said appreciatively, placing an arm around her shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze. Hermione gave him a friendly smile but Harry could see that Ron was misinterpreting both gestures so he quickly released Hermione, sighing inwardly.

_He should know by now_, Harry thought in exasperation. _He should know by now that I love Hermione as a sister and that she loves me like a brother. I thought I had made that clear when I fell in love with Ginny._

"We need to focus on the sword," Ron said flatly. He tried to tug the Sorting Hat out of Harry's hands but Harry slapped his hand away.

"Don't do that, you'll tear it!" Harry reprimanded. "It's not exactly new."

"It belonged to Godric Gryffindor, who lived over a thousand years ago," Hermione chimed in, frowning at Ron.

"_Thank you_, Hermione," Harry said. When Ron made a move to lunge for the hat again, Harry held it out of his reach.

"Neville!" Harry yelled forcefully. "Catch!"

He threw the Sorting Hat with all the strength he could muster. Neville turned around and caught the magical object that was hurling his way with an astonished look on his face. Harry then grabbed Ron by the front of his cloak and pulled him forward, ignoring Hermione's pleas of to not start a fight.

"Get a grip," Harry hissed angrily in Ron's ear. "If you love Hermione so much then tell her! I don't see her in the same light as you do and I guess dating you sister isn't enough to prove that."

Ron seemed stunned as comprehension was dawning over him and Hermione was watching them nervously. Before any of them could do anything else, a loud clanging sound bounced off the walls. They turned around and found everyone looking at Neville, who was staring with wide eyes at a long silver object on the floor: _the sword of Gryffindor_.

"Neville!" Katie Bell exclaimed. "How –?"

"I-I don't know," Neville replied, looking astounded. "All I did was realize that I was gripping the Sorting Hat too hard and when I loosened my hold _that_ came out." He pointed at the sword.

"Well, that worked," Harry said softly. He released Ron and approached Neville. Harry bent down and picked up the sword. Surely enough, the hilt was ruby-encrusted and the blade had the name _Godric Gryffyndor_ engraved on it. Harry grinned at Neville.

"If there's anyone who's a true Gryffindor in this room, it's Neville. He stood up to the Carrows, defended students in need, and defied Snape's regime over and over again. It's no question to why the sword came to you," Harry said proudly.

Everyone cheered and applauded as Neville turned pink and smile sheepishly. Harry handed him the sword but Neville pushed it back to him.

"Keep it," he muttered. "You need it, don't you?"

Harry nodded. Neville patted his shoulder and was soon steered away by Luna Lovegood. Harry smiled in satisfaction before returning to Ron and Hermione.

"We've got the sword!" Hermione said excitedly. "Now we can destroy that locket."

"Let's wait until the Room is empty," Harry told her quietly.

"When will that be?" Ron asked. "And who are the Carrows?"

"Tomorrow morning. They all go to class during the day and the Carrows are twin brother and sister Death Eaters who teach the Dark Arts and they're in charge of discipline. Nasty pair, those two."

"_All_ of them go to class?" Hermione was gazing around the room, clearly noting the graduates and the Muggle-borns.

"I'll explain later. Now, how about we forget this war for the rest of the evening and have some fun?" Harry suggested, catching the Snitch as it flew by.

Ron and Hermione grinned in agreement. They went and joined the others, feeling as if they were finally having the upper hand in this war.

**Now that they've got the sword, I think it's time to destroy some Horcruxes. Or at least the one they already have.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**


	15. Destruction of the locket

"So everyone goes to class? Even the graduates and the Muggle-borns? But that's dangerous!" Hermione said loudly, her voice echoing off the walls in the empty Room of Requirement the next day.

"More like dropouts in Fred and George's case," Ron added sleepily from his hammock.

"Yeah, they do," Harry replied, ignoring Ron's comment. "The graduates are serving as a helping hand; consider them as the Order of the Phoenix of Hogwarts. As for the Muggle-borns, I think that they feel useless lying around here so they join the other students and tiptoe around the Death Eaters. I've tried to talk them out of it but they are set in their ways."

"They really shouldn't; they're practically asking to be killed!" Hermione exclaimed shrilly.

"Hermione, turn down the octaves, will you? We can hear you just fine," Ron said, peering down at them from the second hammock above the floor. "Besides, if it goes any higher, only dogs will be able to hear you."

Harry laughed as Hermione gave Ron a reproachful look. The Chosen One then hastily turned his laugh into a cough as Hermione turned her glare on him. She grabbed the pillow she was sitting on and threw it at him. Harry caught it and threw it up at an unsuspecting Ron, who had lain back down in his hammock. Harry watched at the pillow landed with a soft _thump_ where Ron's head was and he then heard a muffled "Hey!" The pillow suddenly came hurling back down and Harry threw it across the room.

"Hey! That's mine!" Hermione said.

Ron looked down at them. "I already have a pillow, thanks," he said mildly.

"Then go get it," Harry said teasingly to Hermione. He turned to Ron. "You can never have too many pillows," Harry told him and Hermione got to her feet and crossed the room.

"In a hammock, you can," Ron replied as he climbed down the ladder, most likely thinking that it was probably safer to be on the floor with his friends.

"Says you," Harry said cheerfully, glad to be goofing around with his friends again. Ron grinned as he sat and lightly punched Harry on the arm.

"Can we _please_ focus on what's important? Like that Horcrux?" Hermione snapped at the pair of them in a frustrated tone as she returned to her spot.

"We're just having fun, Hermione," Ron said as he rolled his eyes. "Harry's allowed to enjoy himself a bit after spending a couple of months with Snape."

"Thanks, Ron, but Hermione's right. I want to get rid of this thing as soon as possible," Harry replied, fishing the locket that hung around his neck from his shirt.

"I thought there were bad side-effects to wearing that thing?" Hermione inquired, raising her eyebrows.

"Only if you wear it for too long," Harry assured her. When her skeptical expression did not fade, he sighed and said, "Fine, I'll take it off."

Harry passed the chain over his head and Hermione stuck her hand out. He gave her Slytherin's locket and she examined closely, gliding her fingers across the emeralds.

"Such a beautiful piece and it's so rich with history! It's such a shame that we have to destroy it," Hermione said, disappointment tingeing her voice.

"Hermione, that thing has a pulse," Harry told her flatly.

"I know." Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I can feel it. This is what's reminding me of what this locket has become."

"A _pulse_?" Ron repeated in disbelief.

"Want to feel?"

"Keep that thing away from me."

Hermione laughed humorlessly as she gave the locket back to Harry.

"So what's the plan, chief? When are we destroying this thing?" Hermione asked.

"Now." Harry's tone was decisive.

"_Now?_ Here, in the Room of Requirement?" Ron said.

"Yes. Let's take advantage of the empty space and get on with it," Harry replied, placing the locket on the floor.

"Harry's right. Let's do this," Hermione declared, trying to sound confident; Harry could hear the hint of nervousness in her voice.

Ron got to his feet and went to go get the sword of Gryffindor, which was propped up against the wall. He returned with it as Harry stood up and he tried to give the sword to the Chosen One but Harry refused it.

"No," he said, "You should be the one to do it."

"M-_Me?_"

"Hermione told me how you stood up to Aberforth. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have let you guys in. It takes a lot of courage to do that."

"I wouldn't call it courage…" Ron mumbled.

"Whatever you want to call it, you've proven that you can get what you want if you keep fighting. So what do you say, Ron?" Harry told him encouragingly.

Ron looked down at the sword in his hands uncertainly then he switched his gaze to Hermione. She gave him a radiant smile and that seemed to have done it: Ron grasped the sword's hilt with both hands and his eyes shone with determination.

"Open it," he told Harry.

"All right, but let me warn you: whatever's in there _will_ most likely put up a fight so stab it before it can do any serious damage," Harry advised him fervently.

Ron nodded and raised the sword over his head. As Harry faced the locket, he heard Ron call his name and he spun back around. Ron motioned him to come closer with his head and Harry complied, wondering what this could be about.

"If that Horcrux attacks Hermione," Ron whispered, "please protect her for me."

"Of course," Harry promised softly. Ron nodded again to show his gratitude and Harry returned to the locket, Hermione watching them anxiously.

"_Open_," Harry said but the word came out as a low hiss. The lock on the small golden object clicked and something erupted from the locket with such force that it knocked all three teenagers off their feet. Harry and Hermione landed at one end of the room and Ron crashed into the other. Harry shook his head to get rid of the shock and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He heard Hermione gasp in horror at the sight that was bestowed before them.

An enormous inky black tornado was protruding from the locket and Harry could see in both of the locket's windows Tom Riddle's eyes, the eyes as they were before they were turned scarlet. Hermione seemed to have noticed and she gripped Harry's wrist. He pulled his wrist free and threw his arms protectively around her. As he did so, Harry caught sight of Ron struggling to stand on his feet.

"Ron, stab it!" Harry yelled over Hermione's head.

Ron finally stood up and was going to attack the Horcrux when it suddenly spoke in Voldemort's voice.

_I have seen your heart, Ronald Weasley,_ the Horcrux said in a cold, cruel voice. _I have seen it and it is now mine._

"Ron, stab it!" Harry yelled again as he and Hermione watched on, huddled in their corner.

_Cared for by a mother who has always craved for a daughter, overshadowed by six brothers who all have made a success out of themselves, the girl you love will always choose your famous best friend over you_, the Horcrux sneered.

"It's playing with your emotions, Ron! No matter what it says, don't listen to it!" Harry cried frantically as he watched Ron swallow every word he heard.

As if to confirm Harry's statement, two figures emerged from the tornado and Harry saw with horror that the figures were evil versions of himself and Hermione. The real Hermione let out a small scream at the sight of her doppelganger as the real Harry, despite of himself, studied the two beings. The Voldemort-version of himself had even blacker hair and eyes that were the most brilliant shade of green Harry has ever seen: so green those eyes were that they seemed to glow. Riddle-Harry had a pale and inhumanly flawless complexion that made even the lightening scar on his forehead almost invisible.

Riddle-Hermione was even more beautiful yet incredibly more terrible that the actual Hermione. Her hair was less bushy and shinier, and her complexion was the same as her companion's. Her eyes were so dark that they were almost black and they were sparkling with malice as she and Riddle-Harry slowly advanced on Ron, who was frozen with terror.

_Look at him_, Riddle-Hermione laughed icily. _He can't even have a go at us. Pathetic._

_ Your mother has admitted that she would much rather have me as a son_, Riddle-Harry sneered, gazing at Ron with cruel eyes._ She's far more proud of my accomplishments. She's more than willing to trade any day._

"What are they doing to him?" Hermione asked, fear making her voice shake.

"They're pretending to confirm his worse fears," Harry explained. "And I think I know what they're about to do next."

Hermione looked at him questioningly but Harry had returned his attention to Voldemort's creations.

_It doesn't matter that I'm dating your younger sister. All I could think about was my reunion with the lovely lady next to me_, Riddle-Harry said.

_And I kept longing to see you too_, Riddle-Hermione purred to her companion. She turned her icy stare back at Ron._ Who would ever choose you? What woman would ever choose you over the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived? You are nothing, nothing, nothing compared to him_, she crooned.

Harry glanced at Hermione and saw that her eyes had grown very wide. She caught Harry's eye and she turned to him.

"She's not implying what I _think_ she's implying?" Hermione demanded to know.

"That's _exactly_ it," Harry replied. "Ron! Stab it! _NOW!_" he yelled, hoping that Ron would respond before the doppelgangers acted on their words.

It was Harry's fear that was now becoming a reality. Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Hermione closed the already small distance between them and they kissed passionately. Harry heard Hermione give a small cry of outrage as they watched themselves pull at each other's clothes, never breaking the kiss. Harry shook his head and looked away from the spectacle with some difficulty as Hermione continued to stare.

"Ron!" Harry cried out. "Ron, that's not real! Hermione and I are over here and I'm keeping her safe like you asked me to not only because she's my friend but because I know how much she means to _you_! Stab the locket and destroy the illusion!"

Ron turned his head to him and Harry could have sworn he saw a flash of scarlet in his best friend's eyes. The thought was alarming.

"R-Ron?" Harry stammered nervously.

There was a flash of silver and the tornado and the Voldemort-versions of Harry and Hermione vanished, leaving a deafening silence in their wake. Ron collapsed onto his knees and the sword fell out of his hands. Hermione made a move to go to him but Harry stopped her and shook his head. She nodded and let him approach Ron carefully instead. Harry bent down and tentatively put a hand on Ron's back.

"Ron?" Harry asked softly. "Are you all right?"

Ron nodded and looked away but not before Harry caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were completely blue again but they were also wet. Harry knew that Ron would have preferred to have him pretend he had not noticed but Harry was aware that they had to talk it out, no matter how brief the conversation would be and that Harry would most likely be doing all the talking.

Placing himself so that Ron would be blocked from Hermione's view, Harry said, "Ron, look at me."

He saw Ron stiffen at the idea and the ginger slowly shook his head. Harry had expected as much.

"Please, Ron," he pleaded quietly.

Harry sensed his friend's hesitation but he needn't to worry: Ron looked at him, revealing his still-wet eyes, and Harry gave him a kind smile.

"What you saw just now," Harry whispered, "has never happened and it never will happen. That part of You-Know-Who's soul sensed that losing Hermione to me was your greatest fear, even greater that having me replace you in your family, which I don't understand how you could even _think_ that. Anyway, I've always thought that you knew that all there was between me and Hermione was a brother-sister relationship. I love Hermione as a sister and she loves me as a brother. Believe me, there's no competition here, mate. You should have seen the look on her face when she saw 'herself', er, getting _intimate_ with 'me': she found the whole thing rather disturbing."

The corners of Ron's mouth twitched at the last words and he wiped his eyes. Harry was then surprised to hear him speak.

"You – You have so many great accomplishments that go beyond anything anyone's ever done," Ron said softly, his voice trembling slightly. "It's sometimes hard not to think that people would prefer you over –" He broke off, unable to continue.

"What I have done doesn't make me better than you or anyone else. Well, maybe except for You-Know-Who but everyone's better than him," Harry replied, earning a small shaky laugh from Ron. "Being loved because you're famous and for what you do instead of being loved for the person you are is a hassle. Remember Romilda Vane?" Harry continued.

"Don't remind me of _her_," Ron said, shuddering. Harry chuckled softly.

"Were you still worried about me and Hermione despite what I told you yesterday?" he asked.

"A bit. I understood what you said, I really did! But there was still a small part of me that kept doubting," Ron replied solemnly.

"Hey, that's normal. I didn't expect those feelings to disappear overnight, anyway," Harry assured him.

Ron nodded, looking grateful. Harry picked up the locket's remains and left Ron to compose himself. The Chosen One examined the former Horcrux: both windows had been pierced and Tom Riddle's eyes were gone. Sighing with relief, Harry went over to Hermione, who was shaking so much that she was struggling to get on her feet.

"Thanks," Hermione said as Harry helped her. "Is Ron okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Harry replied.

"Good," Hermione said, relieved. She eyed the destroyed locket in Harry's hand. "So that's it for that one, then?"

"Yes, and thank God. We've only got another three to find."

"Harry? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"What did you mean about what you said earlier? About you protecting me because you knew how much I meant to Ron?"

_Oops_, Harry thought as Hermione watched him quizzically. It hadn't occurred to him that she had been listening to his every word. He could simply tell her the answer but he knew that he wasn't the best person to do so.

"I'm not the one who can tell you that, Hermione," Harry replied truthfully.

"What is _that_ supposed mean?" Hermione demanded impatiently. "If I didn't know any better, judging by what that Horcrux did and by what you said, I'd say that Ron is…" She trailed off and gasped. "_Harry!_ Is Ron – Is Ron in love with me?" she said in a hurried whisper.

"Ask him yourself," Harry said, amused by her excitement.

"Oh, but I _can't_. Unless you think I should," Hermione replied, looking at Harry expectantly.

"Yeah, I think you should," he replied calmly.

"O-Okay, then. Do I look all right?"

"Yes, yes, you look real pretty. Now _go_."

"Are you being serious or you're just telling me this because you want me to leave?"

"Both."

"Thanks."

Hermione took a deep breath and walked toward Ron. She helped him on his feet and he smiled sheepishly at her. Harry watched the scene with interest, wondering what kind of approach Hermione would take.

"Hey, Hermione," he heard Ron say. "That was some scary stuff, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Hermione replied. "Ron?"

"Yeah?"

Hermione then suddenly threw her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him squarely on the lips. Ron wrapped his arms around her waist and responded with such enthusiasm that Hermione was lifted off her feet.

_Talk about the direct approach!_ Harry thought as he watched his friends sway on the spot, his mouth hanging open. He snapped it shut and cleared his throat awkwardly, mainly to remind Ron and Hermione that he was still there.

The lovebirds broke apart and grinned broadly at each other. Harry decided to wait a bit before intruding.

"How did you know?" Ron asked, almost too softly for Harry to hear.

"I just put two and two together," Hermione replied affectionately. "Ron, you have nothing to worry about concerning Harry and me. He may be the Chosen One but you're the one who stole my heart."

Ron kissed her in turn then he looked at Harry. The Chosen One gave him a nod and mouthed, "I told you so." It was then Hermione's turn to look at Harry and she beckoned him to join them.

"So this is the moment?" Harry asked as he approached them. "Are you guys finally official?"

"Yes," Ron and Hermione chorused.

"Great," Harry said, grinning. He held up the ruined locket. "That's that," he added.

"You said that the diadem and the cup are in the office, right? We need to make a plan on how we'll break in there," Hermione said, detangling herself from Ron.

"Hermione, this is _me_ you're with, remember? Let me tell you exactly what's going to happen: we plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose. When it comes to me, it's inevitable," Harry told her.

"He's right, Hermione," Ron said thoughtfully. "I say we just barge in there and take what we need."

"That's the idea, basically."

"Yes, _but_ –" Hermione bit her lip anxiously.

"If it makes you feel any better, we'll plan a diversion. How's that?" Harry said. "But once we're in, we _raid_. It'll no longer be about being careful: we'll only have so much time to find what we're looking for and get out."

Hermione still looked doubtful but she seemed to be thinking things over. Then, reluctantly, she finally nodded.

"Good," Harry said, smiling. "Let's get to work."


	16. In need of an ally

Snape sat at the Head Table in the Great Hall, rubbing his temples. He had been up all night helping the Death Eaters search for the supposed intruder who had entered Hogsmeade the previous night, setting off the Caterwauling Charm. Whoever had waltzed in the village had gone as soon as they came but Snape had a general idea who they might've been.

"Rough night?"

The headmaster glanced sideways at Professor McGonagall, who was looking at him with a mixture of cold disinterest and curiosity. Snape knew that she had no interest in his well-being but she was longing to know who or what had caused the disturbance last night. She was probably hoping that it was Potter and his friends who have crossed the boundaries set by the Death Eaters, no doubt.

"I wouldn't call it rough," Snape said conversationally. "I would just call in long since I barely got any sleep."

"I can see that," Professor McGonagall replied coolly. "I suppose you caught the poor soul who wandered too close to your security system and skinned them alive?"

Snape flinched involuntarily at the lack of emotions in his colleague's voice and prayed that she didn't notice. But that hope was lost when he saw Professor McGonagall arch an eyebrow. She was just like Dumbledore, Snape thought: _nothing_ slipped past her. It was one of the many reasons why no one had questioned their relationship.

"If you _must_ know, the intruder escaped. No one was hurt," Snape hissed irritably.

Professor McGonagall looked proud.

"It was Potter, I know it was. Who else could escape you Death Eaters?" she said.

"It wasn't Potter," Snape said without thinking.

"What? And would you know that?" Professor McGonagall wanted to know.

_Way to go, Severus_, Snape thought, furious with himself. "I just do, Minerva," he said aloud.

"Great answer," Professor McGonagall replied sardonically.

Snape glared at her. If only she knew what was truly going on within the castle's walls. She ought to consider herself grateful that she did not need to carry that burden on her shoulders. But that didn't stop Snape from wishing that she _did_ know, so that he was no longer on his own in the midst of this insanity.

"Potter would have been a bit more cautious," Snape said irritably. "He would have known better than to wander into Hogsmeade willy-nilly. He would have suspected that something such as a Caterwauling Charm would be surrounding the village."

"Are you actually _praising_ him?"

"Of course not. But I _do_ admit that Potter is no fool when it comes to the Dark Lord, however. The boy knows better than to expect minimum security when concerning the most powerful dark mage in existence."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you. I didn't think something as such could ever happen again."

"That makes two of us, then."

"Another agreement! How simply _marvellous_."

"I'd watch what you say, Minerva, or –"

"Or what? You'll send the terrible two after me? Bring it on, Snape. I could do with a little fun."

"Don't you dare threaten my staff!" Snape hissed but the idea of seeing the Carrows lying unconscious at Professor McGonagall's feet was an appealing one.

"While they continue to wreck havoc in this school I will threaten them as much as I please!" Professor McGonagall snapped angrily. "This place needs to be purged of the evil that is tainting it and if I had it my way I would immediately begin with _you_!"

With that, she got to her feet and stormed out of the Great Hall. Snape's mind was working furiously, trying to decide what to do. Finally, he also stood up and followed Professor McGonagall, ignoring all the wide-eyed stares and glares as he went.

He found her halfway through the first floor, furiously making her way to her classroom. He noiselessly sped up to her and grabbed her arm. Professor McGonagall spun around and a fire of hatred unlike any Snape has ever seen before was burning in her eyes as she tried to free her wand arm from his grasp. Snape slapped a hand to her mouth and pushed her up against the wall, pinning her there. She twisted and struggled to break free but he kept a firm hold on her, making her efforts futile. It was a good thing that the corridor was deserted or else it would have caused a calamity of epic proportions.

"Now you listen to me and listen closely," Snape told her fervently. "There are secrets within these walls that would go beyond your wildest imagination and those secrets happen to be between Dumbledore and myself."

Professor McGonagall widened her eyes at the sound of Dumbledore's name and Snape knew that he had her attention.

"I cannot tell you these secrets since I have been sworn to secrecy but Albus can most certainly reveal them to you; just tell him I sent you. Simply visit his portrait in my office but do so in the most discreet way possible. The last thing you need is to be pounced on by the Carrow twins. Do I make myself clear?"

Professor McGonagall nodded and Snape released her. He gave her a long look before walking away. He hoped that pointing his work colleague in the right direction was a good move; all secrets would be exposed to her and that alone was a mighty risk. But on the other hand, it would be nice to have an ally who didn't spend all her time sitting in a portrait.

* * *

><p>Professor McGonagall slowly sank to the floor as she watched Snape retreat, his black robes billowing around him, her trembling knees finally giving way. What had just happened? For a second she had been so sure that he was going to kill her but instead he told her to go speak to Dumbledore's portrait, like he was giving her some sort of clue. Everything was all in a confused haze.<p>

Snape mentioned that there were secrets that only he and Dumbledore knew. That wretched man was most likely bluffing but was Professor McGonagall willing to take that chance? Now that she thought about it, whenever she asked Dumbledore about Snape he would give her a roundabout answer, as if he was hiding something, and he would never fully reveal any of his plans. Maybe it would be best to follow Snape's instructions; she might actually get a full answer if she tried once more.

Professor McGonagall gingerly got to her feet as the sound of students piling into the corridor reached her ears. Solving this mystery would have to wait; she had a class to teach.

**I'm so sorry about the overly long update! This was WAY overdue! I'll try to update faster from now on!**


	17. Training

**Here's a small recap of what's been going on so far: Snape has been given the Horcruxes for unknown reasons so he and Dumblebore plan to kidnap Harry and let him find these objects. Harry manages to find to locket and is released from his prison in the headmaster's office by Ginny, Neville and Seamus. He is later reunited with Ron and Hermione in the Room of Requirement where Ron destroyed the Horcrux using the sword of Gryffindor that Harry had taken from the office in the form of the Sorting Hat. Ron and Hermione are now dating and all three of them need to come up with a plan to break into the office and find the diadem and the cup. Meanwhile, Snape struggles with being a spy and now wants an ally he can trust by his side so he hinted to Professor McGonagall to go talk to Dumbledore's portrait.**

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, narrowly dodging a curse thrown by Hermione. "Dial down on the power, will you?"

"Sorry, Ron!" Hermione replied shrilly, covering her mouth with her free hand. "This is severely extensive magic that is only reserved for seventh-years. I still have trouble controlling the amount of power I put in my spells."

"I can tell," Ron said, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.

Harry sighed. They had been training in advanced magic for the past three days using the various spell books Hermione had stuffed in her tiny beaded bag. The problem was that a lot of these spells demanded an amount of power control so that the caster could choose how much damage they wanted their spell to cause. It sounded great but it was difficult to manage; they either put too much power and reduced the test-dummies the Room of Requirement had provided to dust or they inserted too little power and there wasn't so much as a scratch on the dummies.

Since they had disintegrated every dummy they had, they took turns practicing on each other, which was great dodging practice. But now Harry was slightly worried that their training may be hazardous to their health.

"_No_, Ron," Hermione said impatiently. Harry, who was sitting up against the wall, refocused his attention on his dueling friends. "You need to flick you wrist if you want this spell to work properly."

"Without the swishing, right?" Ron said jokingly.

"You'd better hope so. Otherwise you'd make an explosion that would go beyond even Seamus's wildest dreams."

"What kind of spell is it?" Harry asked curiously.

"One you don't ever want to come to come into contact with. Let's just say that you'll end up seriously deformed," Hermione replied, shuddering.

"Then _why_ are we casting it at _each other_?" Ron exclaimed in alarm, eyes wide.

"Because we can't practice on a bunch of Slytherins without being mauled by Death Eaters," Harry said.

Ron and Hermione laughed. Harry stood up and whipped his wand out. He took his aim at the wall opposite from him and shot his curse. It flew across the room in a streak of purple light at top speed and collided with the wall, emitting an earth-shattering sound and smoke. When the smoke cleared, a large gaping hole could be seen in the wall, making Harry utter a few choice curse words under his breath. He had put far too much power in that curse.

"Harry, _try_ not to destroy the Room," Hermione said disapprovingly.

"And what have _you_ been doing for the last half hour?" Harry replied. "Besides, the Room fixes itself."

As he said those words the wall had already begun to patch itself up. Hermione shook her head as the door opened and Ginny came inside.

"Hey, guys," she said, giving Harry a kiss on the cheek. "Was that an explosion I heard just now?"

"We're practicing some really complicated magic," Ron said, twirling his wand in his hand. "Were we that loud?"

"I'm positive that the entire seventh floor shook. You're lucky that everyone's down in the dungeons being shown by the Carrows the new line of torture devices… That didn't sound right, did it?"

"No, but we know what you meant," Harry said, giving Ginny's shoulders an affectionate squeeze. "How did you sneak out?"

"You don't date Harry Potter without learning a thing or two about sneaking around," Ginny replied, winking.

"_There's_ an achievement to be proud of," Ron said ironically, rolling his eyes.

"We should be more careful," Hermione chimed in as Ginny opened her mouth to retort. "The last thing we need is a Death Eater to become curious and accidently figure out how the Room of Requirement works."

"Yeah, we can't afford to let them ruin yet _another_ day in our danger-filled lives," Ron said sardonically.

Harry and Ginny guffawed as Hermione glared at her boyfriend. She then turned her stare onto Harry and Ginny, who hastily turned their laughter into a fake coughing fit.

"It _isn't_ funny! This is a _war_; we could get killed at the slightest mistake! Why do you think we're practicing manoeuvring these spells?" Hermione snapped irritably.

"To break into Snape's office. I'm willing to bet five Galleons that that's it."

"You're right. Pay up, Ginny."

"I'm not giving you any kind of money, Ron."

"Be cruel and give him Muggle money. He won't be able to make heads or tails of it."

"Neither will I but it's not a bad idea. Thanks, Harry."

"Oh, great. My own best mate just betrayed me for my sister."

"Well, she _is_ my girlfriend, and I'm just _teasing_ you, you prat. No need to be so melodramatic."

"Why do I even bother?" Hermione asked to no one in particular.

"Because you care," Ron simply stated. "Hermione, we've been going at it nonstop for three days now. Let's take a break."

"Those Death Eaters don't take breaks!"

"Actually, they do. They have a victory party whenever they successfully torture someone," Ginny said in disgust.

The trio stared at her in astonishment.

"That's… disturbing," Harry said gravely.

"You know what? Forget the training! We gotta break into Snape's office _now_," Ron declared.

"But we still can't control –" Hermione began to say but Ron cut her off.

"Hermione, Snape is the _enemy_. He killed Dumbledore, for Merlin's sake! Does it matter if we deform him or cause any permanent damage?" he said impatiently.

"But, Ron, we could _kill_ him if we're not careful!"

The idea made Harry feel as if he had been slapped in the face. As much as he hated Snape, he certainly didn't want to kill him. That would definitely be a very poor way of repaying the surprising display of kindness (if one could call it that; Harry did not know what to think of it anymore) the former Potions master had delivered five years previously. But the Chosen One also had to keep in mind that Ron was right: Snape was the enemy. Any friendly exchange that had gone between had to be forgotten.

"This is _war_, Hermione!" Ron was saying. His words pulled Harry out of his trance. "People will sadly get killed and we might have to do some of the killing ourselves. It's us or them and I'm not gonna let it be us."

"We have to try," Harry said unevenly. His friends looked at his questioningly. "We have to at least try to spare the enemies' lives. The only person who should die without question is You-Know-Who."

"Harry's right: if we can avoid killing, we should. It should only be used as a last resort," Ginny said, taking Harry's hand.

Ron sighed. "Fine, but is Snape lays a finger on one of us I won't hesitate to put all the power I can muster in my curses," he said.

"Believe me when I say this, Ron: that won't be difficult for you," Hermione said calmly, hooking her arms through his.

"I'll gather Seamus and Neville when they come back. You'll need all the help you can get when you'll infiltrate Snape's office," Ginny said. "When will it happen?"

"Tonight," Harry said firmly, surprising the others. "We can't wait any longer."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"Positive."

"Finally! We get to leave this bloody room!" Ron exclaimed enthusiastically.

"You amaze me."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment, Hermione?"

"I haven't worked that out yet."

Harry rolled his eyes with a smile as the door opened and the rest of the Room's inhabitants came filing in. Ginny left his side and went to pull Neville and Seamus from the crowd. Tonight was certainly going to be interesting.

* * *

><p>Professor McGonagall was standing before the large gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office. She had spent the last three days pondering over Snape's words and she had finally decided to follow his instructions. She was taking a huge risk coming here: for all she knew, the Carrows could be waiting for her on the other side. But there was no way she was going to back out now.<p>

The Transfiguration professor glanced at the piece of parchment in her hand. The night of the same day Snape had cornered her had earned her an unexpected visit from one of the school's owls. There was a scroll attached to its leg and when Professor McGonagall had unrolled it she recognized Snape's calligraphy. There was only one word that had been written: _Dumbledore_. It was safe to assume that this was the office's password, much to her surprise.

Professor McGonagall looked at the gargoyle. It's cold, hard eyes were staring at her, as if daring her to go on. She accepted the challenge.

"Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall said firmly.

There was a loud noise and the gargoyle began to rise, revealing the spiral staircase. Professor McGonagall climbed onto a step and let herself be brought up to the office, bracing herself for the worse.

**Thank you so much for your patience! It's very much appreacited!**


	18. Infiltrating the office

"Ouch! Careful!"

"Sorry! I can't see you under that thing!"

"That's kind of the point."

"You lot are pathetic. Did you know that?"

"Oh, yeah? See if _you_ can find Harry underneath his Invisibility Cloak!"

"Sure! He's right here!"

"Ow! Did you have to smack me in the back of the head, Seamus?"

"Hey, I had to prove a point, mate."

"Will you three keep quiet?" Hermione hissed as they crept along the corridor leading to the Headmaster's Tower.

It was past eleven o'clock at night and they were near Snape's office. Neville and Seamus had agreed to follow Harry, Ron and Hermione on their mission of stealth and, after a slightly heated argument with her boyfriend, Ginny had also accompanied them. Harry was hidden underneath his Invisibility Cloak since he was they Death Eaters' main target.

"So what are we looking for, exactly?" Neville asked softly.

"Ron, Hermione and I will worry about that. You, Ginny and Seamus focus on keeping an eye on our surroundings," Harry replied in a whisper.

"Harry, shh!" Hermione said. "You're supposed to be invisible."

"Are these things supposed to help you beat You-Know-Who?" Seamus pressed on.

"Yes," Harry said, ignoring Hermione.

"Look!" Ginny exclaimed, pointing.

They followed her gaze and stopped in their tracks. Someone was in the office: the gargoyle had been raised and the spiral staircase was now accessible to anyone. They stood uncertainly a few feet away, all wondering the same thing.

"What now?" Ron said, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Let's keep going. We've made it this far," Neville said firmly.

Harry was alarmed at the preposition.

"No. You guys go back and I'll go. I have the Invisibility Cloak," he said.

"Uh, _no_. It's all of us or nothing," Ginny replied severely.

"C'mon, mate. You can't do this alone," Seamus said reasonably.

The Chosen One groaned exasperatedly. How did he manage to get some stubborn friends?

"I can't convince you otherwise?" Harry asked, almost pleadingly.

They vigorously shook their heads.

"Fine," Harry said stubbornly. "Let's go."

His friends smiled at each other triumphantly as they cautiously approached the office. Harry climbed up the stairs first, looking over his shoulder constantly to make sure that everyone was still there. When they arrived at the door, which was closed, the Chosen One turned to his friends.

"Ready?" he whispered.

They nodded, taking their wands out. Wand at the ready, Harry slowly opened the door.

* * *

><p>Professor McGonagall sat slumped in the headmaster's chair, her mind whirling as Dumbledore eyed her carefully from his portrait as he finally finished telling everything she needed to know. Snape was innocent and on their side? Dumbledore's death was planned between Snape and Dumbledore himself? Dumbledore would have died anyway thanks to the curse that had blackened his hand? Voldemort had split his soul into <em>seven<em> pieces and one of those pieces was inside Potter? Potter had to die in order for Voldemort to die? It was all just too much.

But at least she had finally received answers to the questions she had been asking herself for a long time. She just had not been prepared to take on the impact on those answers.

"Albus," Professor McGonagall said slowly, "how can all this be _true_?"

"It just is, Minerva," Dumbledore replied evenly. "I know it's a lot to take in."

"That's an understatement," Professor McGonagall retorted.

Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer when they heard the door hinges creak, signaling that someone was coming in. Professor McGonagall jumped to her feet and pointed her wand at the intruders, expecting them to be the Carrows.

Her mouth fell open at the sight of Longbottom, Finnigan, Granger and Mr and Miss Weasley, and their shocked expressions mirrored hers perfectly. Professor McGonagall cautiously approached them, her wand still raised.

"Tell me who you are and something about yourselves that only I as your head of house would know," she ordered. "Let me begin: I am Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, head of Gryffindor house, Order of the Phoenix member."

Longbottom took a step forward and Professor McGonagall watched him expectantly.

"My name is Neville Longbottom and you, Professor McGonagall, have once advised me to pursue Charms rather than Transfiguration in my N.E.W.T. levels," he said diplomatically.

"Okay, Longbottom. You passed your test," Professor McGonagall said clinically. "Stand behind me if you please."

Longbottom complied. Professor McGongall turned back to the other students.

"Next," she said.

Finnigan stepped forward.

"Seamus Finnigan at your service, professor!" he said. "You once told me that you were impressed with my knowledge in pyrotechnics."

"Very well, Finnigan. You may stand with Longbottom over there. Next!"

"I am Ginevra 'Ginny' Weasley, and you once secretly told me that you approved of me dating Harry Potter."

Mr Weasley snickered and his sister stomped on his foot as Granger glared at him. Professor McGonagall fought down a small smile.

"Go stand with Mr Longbottom and Mr Finnigan, Miss Weasley. Next!"

Mr Weasley, who was massaging his foot, gingerly put it down before limping forward.

"I am Ronald Weasley and you were the one who got Madam Hooch to secretly give me extra training as a Keeper for Quidditch."

"Go stand with you sister, Mr Weasley. And, finally –?"

"I am Hermione Granger and you, Professor McGonagall, had arranged for me to receive a Time-Turner in order to attend several classes at once during my third year."

Professor McGonagall released a breath she did not know she had been holding. She motioned Granger to join them and the girl happily did so.

"I guess that's all of you," Professor McGonagall said, giving them a rare smile.

"Not quite."

The Transfiguration professor froze. That voice! No, it couldn't be! Could it?

Professor McGonagall whirled around on time to see Harry Potter slip out from underneath the Invisibility Cloak his father had used time and time again to cause mischief.

**I highly doubt McGonagall was expecting to see Harry. I wonder how she'll react to Snape the next time she sees him? Stay tune to find out!**


	19. The cup and the diadem

Professor McGonagall blinked twice as she stared at Potter in disbelief. She was incredibly happy to see him but at the same time she wanted to tell him that he was a fool for coming back. She then remembered what Dumbledore had said about Potter needing to die in order for Voldemort to be finished off once and for all, and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't matter whether Potter came to Hogwarts or went somewhere else; his life would be lost either way.

"Um, professor? Aren't you going to ask me to identify myself?" Potter asked.

"What? Oh, yes," Professor McGonagall replied. "Go on."

"I am Harry Potter and in my fifth year you swore to me and Umbridge that you would do whatever it took to fulfill my dream of becoming an Auror," Potter said placidly.

Potter had barely finished speaking when Professor McGonagall advanced upon him and gave him a brief yet meaningful hug. She held him at arm's length and examined him fully. He appeared to be unharmed. Professor McGonagall gave him a smile then shook her head.

"You shouldn't have come back here, Potter," she said.

"I… had to, professor," Potter replied hesitantly.

"I know," Professor McGonagall said softly.

"You do?"

Professor McGonagall leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "I know you're looking for _his_ Horcruxes."

She pulled back and saw that Potter's brilliant green eyes had gone wider than Golden Snitches. He stared at her, seeming to struggle with his speech.

"H-How –? How did you –?" Potter stammered.

"Professor Dumbledore has told me everything. If you like, I can assist you in any way I can," Professor McGonagall told him.

"Professor…" Potter said in a low voice.

"What are they stored in? What objects did You-Know-Who hide his soul in?"

Potter seemed to hesitate. Then he motioned Professor McGonagall to come closer and she complied. Potter whispered in her ear at his turn.

"Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem and Helga Hufflepuff's cup," he said. "They're somewhere in this office."

Professor McGonagall widened her eyes. "The founders' personal belongings?" she said in astonishment.

"Yes, and we've already destroyed Slytherin's locket with the sword of Gryffindor."

"The sword? He didn't make it –?"

Potter shook his head. "It's actually our weapon against Horcruxes. Our _only_ weapon."

"How many have been destroyed so far?"

"Three."

_Four to go, then_, Professor McGonagall thought, her heart hurting at the fact that Potter was unknowingly one of those Horcruxes. She straightened herself and faced her other students, who were watching them questioningly.

"Mr Weasley and Miss Granger, come here, please," Professor McGonagall said. "The rest of you: keep watch."

Mr Weasley and Granger approached them as Longbottom, Finnigan and Miss Weasley stationed themselves each in a corner of the office. Professor McGonagall eyed the trio severely.

"All right. Each of you take a section of the office to search. I doubt that these Horcruxes will be hidden in plain sight," she told them firmly.

"You_ told_ her?" Granger said incredulously to Potter.

"She already knew," Potter replied, shrugging. "Dumbledore –"

"Hey, neat cup!"

_I could be wrong_, Professor McGonagall thought as she whirled around. Finnigan was examining a small golden cup in his hands, awe written all over his face.

"Look! There's a badger on here," Finnigan said, pointing.

Potter rushed towards him and he took the cup from him. He gave it a long look and smiled.

"One down, one to go," Potter said, throwing the cup to Professor McGonagall.

She caught it and spotted the badger engraved into the face of the cup. It amazed the Transfiguration professor to be holding a piece of history, but it disgusted her to know what this valuable object had been tainted with.

"Here, professor," Granger said, opening her small beaded bag and holding it out. Professor McGonagall raised a skeptical eyebrow but placed the cup inside anyway. It was a perfect fit.

"Undetectable Extension Charm?" Professor McGonagall asked, amused.

"That's Hermione for you!" Mr Weasley exclaimed, putting an arm around Granger and making her smile.

"Investigate the tables and cabinets, you lot. I'll take on the desk," Professor McGonagall ordered as Granger picked up the Invisibility Cloak Potter had left on the floor and put it in her bag.

Mr Weasley and Granger nodded and split up. Professor McGonagall made her way to the desk, gliding a hand on the edge as she walked around it. She heard the cling and the clang of delicate objects being moved and she knew that her students had begun their search.

The Transfiguration professor opened the first of four drawers. It was crammed with thick rolls of parchment. She rummaged through them in case the diadem or something else of importance was hidden among them. No such luck.

Professor McGonagall closed that drawer and opened the next. This one had a few of Dumbledore's inventions in it. She looked through them, memories of her sitting on Dumbledore's desk as she watched him tinker with those inventions resurfacing, and she caught sight of a small velvet box. Frowning, Professor McGonagall took the box out and opened it. A small gasp escaped her when the content was revealed to her.

A diamond ring was sitting inside the box, sparkling in the light of the lamps. Professor McGonagall admired it, unable to fathom why Dumbledore would have a ring like this in his desk.

"That was supposed to be an engagement ring, which I had found in a lovely Muggle jewelry store."

Professor McGonagall jumped a little and turned around. Dumbledore was watching her solemnly from his canvas.

"Albus?" Professor McGonagall said, nonplussed.

"I was hoping to marry you but then my hand got cursed," Dumbledore continued. "I had only about a year to live and I didn't want to leave you as a widow. You didn't deserve to have that happen to you again."

"Albus…" Professor McGonagall said softly, tears stinging her eyes.

"Aaw!"

The Transfiguration professor jumped again; she had forgotten about her students. She faced them and found them watching her, the girls' faces glowing and the boys merely smiling. Professor McGonagall felt herself blush a little.

"Put it on, professor!" Miss Weasley exclaimed excitedly as Granger nodded in agreement.

Professor McGonagall looked at the ring and slowly took it out of its packaging. She slipped it on her finger and she couldn't help but feel a mixture of happiness and sadness at the sight.

The girls sighed contently before continuing their search; the boys had already done so. Professor McGonagall turned back to Dumbledore, who was grinning at her broadly.

"It's absolutely beautiful," she whispered, resting a hand on the frame of his portrait.

"Keep it," Dumbledore told her. "It was meant to be yours."

"Thank you. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Professor McGonagall smiled at Dumbledore before going back to her search. She closed the drawer and moved to the other side of the desk. She opened the top right drawer and found a disarray of knick-knacks. The Transfiguration professor faced Dumbledore with a hand on her hip.

"You and your knick-knacks," she said, half-amused and half-annoyed. "I never could get you to dispose of them."

"What can I say? I was a collector," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

"A packrat, you mean," Professor McGonagall corrected him as she dug through the mess. There wasn't anything in there either so she closed that drawer too.

She pulled on the handle of the last drawer but nothing budged. Frowning, Professor McGonagall pulled a few more times to no avail. Odd. Why would only three out of four drawers be unlocked? Dumbledore had always kept all four unlocked and certainly it wouldn't be wise for Snape to be keeping a few extra secrets apart from the ones Professor McGonagall had learnt about tonight. What was in this drawer?

Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at the keyhole and whispered, "_Alohomora_." The lock clicked and the drawer sprung open. She was pushing scrolls aside when she felt something cool underneath her fingertips. She grabbed the object and pulled it out. Now hanging in her hand was the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.

It was an amazing sight: that diadem hasn't been seen for _centuries_ and it was now in the palm of her hand! By looking at it, Professor McGonagall was reminded of how the Sorting Hat had had difficulty choosing whether it should put her in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall was more than proud to be a Gryffindor but being a Ravenclaw would have been an honor as well.

"I believe this is what you are looking for, Potter," Professor McGonagall called out, holding out the diadem as she made her way around the desk.

Potter whirled around but Granger, being the closest, reached their head of house first. She took the diadem from Professor McGonagall, examined it, and smiled triumphantly.

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_," Granger read aloud. "This is it!"

"Blimey! Does this mean we're done here?" Mr Weasley asked.

"Yeah, it does," Potter replied as Granger placed the diadem in her bag. "Let's get out of here before we get an unwanted visitor."

As he said the last word the door opened and Snape and the Carrows came walking in. They froze in their tracks and Professor McGonagall saw a flicker of panic flit across Snape's eyes before he composed himself to appear cold.

"Too late!" Longbottom cried frantically.

"So the old woman came to play, hm? And she's brought a couple of kids to join in the fun," Alecto sneered cruelly.

"She probably doesn't have enough power to take us on in her old age," Amycus added gleefully.

"Hey! Don't you dare talk about Professor McGonagall like that!" Potter snapped angrily.

Professor McGonagall looked at him in alarm. As much as she appreciated Potter defending her, it was clear that the Carrows had yet to notice him and he had just attracted their attention with his outburst.

"_Potter!_ It's Potter!" Amycus yelled excitedly. "Call the Dark Lord!"

"With pleasure," Alecto said. She rolled up her sleeve, displaying her Dark Mark, and began to approach the tip of her wand to that mark.

Using lightning-quick reflexes, Professor McGonagall conducted her wand like a whip and with a loud _crack!_ and a flash of blinding light, Alecto was lying unconscious on the floor.

Screaming ferociously, Amycus struck. Professor McGonagall deflected his curse and sent one his way. He dodged it but was soon hit by one that came from the east side of the room. Professor McGonagall watched on in a mixture of horror and disgust as Amycus's face twisted and stretched itself into something unrecognizable. She looked in the direction the spell came from and found Granger tapping her foot with her arms crossed at Mr Weasley, whose wand tip was smoking.

"He was going to KILL her!" Mr Weasley was saying. "OI!"

Professor McGonagall returned her attention onto the Death Eaters but she had done so too late. Amycus managed to straighten himself, his face terribly distorted, and he sent a Stunner her way. It hit Professor McGonagall squarely in the chest and she was knocked off her feet. She collided with the desk and fell to the floor, the pain incredibly vivid.

"_Stupefy_!" she heard Potter cry. She raised her head on time to see Amycus slam against the wall and crumple to the ground, where he lay unmoving.

The Transfiguration professor felt a pair of hands gently help her to her feet.

"Are you all right, professor?" Potter asked worriedly.

"Y-Yes. Thank you," Professor McGonagall replied a little shakily.

Colorful lights were flashing all over the office as jinxes and curses flew everywhere. Longbottom, Finnigan and Miss Weasley were dueling with Snape but even though they had the upper hand in numbers, he had the advantage in skills. He expertly dodged and deflected every spell but Professor McGonagall soon noticed that that was _all_ he was doing. He wasn't using any offensive spells against any of the students. It was clear that he had no desire to harm them.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Granger suddenly yelled.

Snape's wand flew out of his hand and he could not have looked any more astonished. Seizing her opportunity, Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at him.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" she exclaimed.

The former Potions master grew rigid and toppled over. They all stared at him for a few seconds, breathing hard and hearts racing.

"Go! _Now!_" Professor McGonagall ordered sharply.

Her students did not to be told twice: they each rushed out of the office, Granger pulling the Invisibility Cloak out of her bag for Potter to wear. Professor McGonagall swept across the office after them but stopped when she reached Snape. She bent down, pointed her wand at him again, and whispered the counter-curse.

With a jerk, Snape was brought back to life. He was slowly beginning to sit up when Professor McGonagall pressed a hand to his chest to stop him. Snape looked at her and she could see read the questions in his eyes.

"You have my alliance, Severus," Professor McGonagall whispered.

Snape widened his eyes but she did not give him the chance to speak. Professor McGonagall straightened herself and fled the office.

**All right! So Snape's finally got someone on his side who isn't living inside a painting. It must be a relief if you ask me.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**


	20. The Deathly Hallows

Snape watched Professor McGonagall's robes disappear around the corner, bewildered. So she spoke to Dumbledore? She believed him? Snape was finally no longer alone inside this castle?

Questions were whirling around in his mind at top speed but he pushed them aside for the moment. The former Potions master regarded the two unconscious Death Eaters and smiled for the first time in ages. It served them right to have been knocked around. Snape looked at Amycus and nearly immediately turned away, revolted by the awful sight bestowed before him.

Snape sighed. He knew that if he didn't fix Amycus's face, there would be trouble. He Summoned his wand wordlessly, which zoomed into his open hand, and pointed it at the brother Death Eater. Snape whispered a few healing spells and within seconds Amycus was as good as new. Solemnly, the former Potions master put his wand away and got up to his feet, deciding to leave the Carrows in their unconscious state.

He had just remembered that the twins had seen Potter and was about to modify their memories when Dumbledore spoke.

"Severus, don't."

Taking a deep breath to keep himself from blasting the damn portrait to pieces, Snape slowly turned around, gripping his wand so tightly that his knuckles became white.

"_Why?_" he spat venomously.

"It's inevitable, Severus. Voldemort will eventually be back here whether we like it or not. Let the Carrows call him," Dumbledore said evenly.

"Are – you – MAD?" Snape snarled, yelling the last word. "You're practically _asking_ for the ultimate destruction of this place and its people! We are not ready to combat the Dark Lord!"

"When will we be, Severus? Yes, Voldemort is powerful but we have something that he doesn't."

"And _what_ would that be, pray tell?"

"The most powerful magic of all: love."

"_Love?_"

"No need to be so incredulous, Severus. Love is much stronger than any spell. Was it not your ability to love that had permitted you to redeem yourself?"

"Well…"

"I rest my case."

"You're infuriating," Snape hissed irritably.

"Which means that I do my job well," Dumbledore replied, eyeing Snape severely.

"Can I at least delay the Dark Lord's arrival by a day or two?" Snape asked, almost pleading.

Dumbledore sighed heavily.

"_One_ day," he said sternly. "That is your limit. We cannot push back our encounter with him forever."

Snape felt the relief wash over him as he caught a sign of movement out of the corner of his eye. The Carrows were beginning to wake up and Snape wondered what kind of excuse he could give to refrain them from summoning the Dark Lord. He didn't care what it was; just as long it worked.

* * *

><p>Harry was fiddling with the Golden Snitch as he sat next to Professor McGonagall, who was looking around the Room in wonder. They had managed to convince her to remain with them in fear that the Carrows would come after her in revenge for her attack on them. Professor McGonagall had agreed and received quite the surprise when she had discovered the Room of Requirement. Everyone had welcomed her with open arms and was awed upon learning how she had fought the Carrows.<p>

The Chosen One was now interested in decoding his Golden Snitch. Hermione had informed him that those tiny golden balls had flesh memory and that he had nearly swallowed this particular Snitch when he had caught it during his very first Quidditch match. Harry had obligingly pressed the Snitch to his lips and, to his surprise, words engraved in Dumbledore's caligraphy had appeared on the surface: _I open at the close_.

What in the world those words meant, Harry had not the slightest clue. He had even shown it to Professor McGonagall, who had studied it for a few long minutes, but even she was at a loss at their meaning.

"I'm afraid I can't help you there, Potter. Professor Dumbledore worked in mysterious ways. Ways he rarely divulged to anyone," she had told him.

"Not even to you?" Harry had asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not even to me," Professor McGonagall had replied, shaking her head.

That answer had discouraged Harry a bit but he wasn't about to give up. He pressed the little golden ball to his lips again and read the message another five times before it disappeared, his mind working furiously, but all efforts were futile: he could not make heads or tails of that short phrase.

"Any luck, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked suddenly.

Harry gave a small start, his concentration broken, and he gazed at his professor through bleary eyes. He ought to stop staring at things for too long.

"No," Harry replied, rubbing one eye. "It's frustrating."

"I know it is. Don't worry, it will come to you," Professor McGonagall said soothingly as she watched him rub his other eye.

"I hope so…"

A flash of light soared past them and Harry and Professor McGonagall stared at each other before looking in the direction it came from. Fred and George were setting off some of their fireworks as a sort of entertainment, earning cheers from the onlookers. Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, was far from being amused.

"Those two –!" she exclaimed angrily. "Excuse me, Potter."

Harry chuckled as Professor McGonagall stalked towards the unsuspecting twins. Then Hermione took her vacant seat so suddenly that the Chosen One was almost certain that she had Apparated there.

"I was waiting for her to leave," Hermione said.

"Hermione, she knows everything. Besides, she's the one who found the diadem, remember?" Harry replied. "What are you doing with that?" he added, pointing at the copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ Dumbledore had left her in his will she was holding in her hands.

"I found something in here that has been drawn by someone, most likely Dumbledore since it was his book," Hermione replied as she opened the book.

Harry peered inside. The first thing he noticed was that the story was titled _The Tale of the Three Brothers_, written in Hermione's handwriting above the Runes title. His eyes moved to the top right corner of the page and saw a symbol that has clearly been inked there. At first glanced it looked like an eye but Harry realized that it was actually a triangle with a vertical line and a circle traced within it. This symbol was completely foreign to him and somehow he doubted Hermione knew any more than he did.

"I take it that you don't know what this is?" Harry inquired.

Hermione shook her head.

"I've looked in all of my Ancient Runes textbooks and this symbol wasn't in any of them," she replied, sounding disheartened. Harry had to keep himself from smiling because he knew that it was always a shock to Hermione whenever books failed her. "I also want to know why it was drawn over this particular story," she added, frowning.

"What's it about?"

"I'll try to give you a brief summary. One day, three brothers managed to safely cross a river filled with treacherous waters by magically creating a bridge over it. In result, they received a visit from Death, who felt cheated of three victims. But, being cunning as he was, he pretended to congratulate the three brothers and wanted to give them each a reward for their success. Of course, who could resist such an offer, right?"

"The first brother demanded for the most powerful wand in existence so Death fashioned a wand made of elder. The second brother wished for the power to bring back the dead so Death gave him a stone plucked out of the river with the said power. The third brother, the humblest and wisest of all three, asked for the power to become invisible at will so, reluctantly, Death gave him his very own Cloak of Invisibility. The brothers, satisfied with their gifts, parted ways."

"The first brother found a distant village and defeated a wizard he had been quarrelling with. Elated, he bragged about his invincibility and of his wand's power and was later killed in his sleep, where the wand was taken from him by his murderer. Death claimed the first brother."

"The second brother went to their home village in hopes to revive the girl he had been hoping to marry before her untimely death. He turned the stone Death had given him thrice in his hand and she appeared before him. They were happy to see each other again but it became soon apparent that she was miserable and no longer belonged in the mortal world so the brother took his own life in order to be with her. Death claimed the second brother."

"As for the third brother, Death searched and searched but could never find him. It wasn't until he reached a great age did the brother finally take off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son, and greeted Death like an old friend."

A small silence settled between them after Hermione's monologue. Harry looked at her.

"Hermione, what exactly is your definition of a 'brief summary'?" he asked teasingly.

"Shut up," Hermione replied, though smiling. "I got caught up in the story. I don't understand how _The Tale of the Three Brothers_ can have a reference to this symbol. All I understood was not to toy with Death. Objects such as the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility would be highly powerful objects if they existed."

"Are you talking about the Deathly Hallows?"

Harry and Hermione turned their heads so fast that it was a wonder they didn't crick them. Professor McGonagall had returned with one sleeve of her robes singed and smoking slightly.

"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed shrilly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Are you all right?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. The Weasley twins didn't time their last firework correctly and it grazed my sleeve. I've had worst damage done to me," Professor McGonagall said indifferently.

"What were you saying about the Deathly Hallows, professor?" Harry intervened eagerly.

Professor McGonagall motioned them to make room for her to sit and they complied. She sat between them and took the book from Hermione, examining the symbol on the page closely.

"This here," Professor McGonagall said, pointing at the strange triangle, "is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. The triangle represents the Cloak of Invisibility, the line is meant to be the Elder Wand, and the circle portrays the Resurrection Stone."

"The artifacts from the story!" Hermione remarked in awe.

"Yes, _The Tale of the Three Brothers_ explains the origin of these powerful objects. There are even rumors of who the brothers were."

"Who were they?"

"The Peverell brothers: Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus. The Elder Wand belonged to Antioch, the Resurrection Stone to Cadmus, and the Cloak of Invisibility to Ignotus. The youngest, Ignotus, has a grave in Godric's Hollow with the symbol of the Deathly Hallows carved in it."

Harry's senses went on high alert at the name of his birth town. "G-Godric's Hollow?" he stammered.

"Yes, and it's right across from your parents' grave," Professor McGonagall said gently. "I went to pay my respects not long after they were murdered."

The Chosen One smiled at her.

"Well, I _do_ know that there have been stories about a wand that fits the description of the Elder Wand," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Really?" Harry said, surprised.

His brainy best friend gave him an exasperated look.

"Have you _ever_ paid attention in History of Magic?" she replied in annoyance. "The Deathstick? The Wand of Destiny? They and the Elder Wand are all the same wand and it has a bloody history. That is, if it even exists."

"Anything's possible," Professor McGonagall said evenly. "After seeing the type of madness You-Know-Who has brought – twice now, mind you – I'm almost willing to believe anything might be true."

"Okay, so there is a possibility that this wand _might_ be real. We know that Invisibility Cloaks are. I mean, they sell them everywhere."

"Not this kind of cloak, Miss Granger. The ones you speak of have an Invisibility spell that wears off with time. The one the story includes never loses its invisibility no matter how old it gets and no spell can affect it. You couldn't even use _Accio_ on it."

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other. There was in fact a cloak that matched Professor McGonagall's description and it was currently sitting neatly folded in Hermione's beaded bag.

"But what about the Resurrection Stone? You can't possibly tell us that there is a type of magic that can bring back the dead," Hermione pressed on.

"That, I admit, seems incredibly far-fetched. But, somehow, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be miraculously true," Professor McGonagall said. "And I should probably mention this: if these Hallows are united together, they make the bearer one Master of Death."

"How do you know about all of this, professor?" Harry asked hastily before Hermione could express any more skepticism.

"My mother was quite knowledgeable of these old tales. She has passed on that knowledge to me when I was a little girl," Professor McGonagall replied fondly.

"I wish I had someone telling me stories when I was a kid," Harry said to himself in a low voice, silently cursing the Dursleys.

To his surprise, Professor McGonagall had heard him and smiled.

"If you would like, Harry, I could tell you some of these stories one day," she told him as she gave Hermione her book back.

Harry grinned at her. "That would be great," he replied happily.

Another Weasley firework flew past them and Professor McGonagall abruptly stood up.

"I don't care if they no longer attend Hogwarts," she said furiously. "I will give those two troublemakers a detention they will never forget!"

Professor McGonagall stomped off, fuming. Hermione then wasted no time to scoot over so closely to Harry that she invaded his personal space.

"You can't honestly think that the Deathly Hallows are real. Do you?" Hermione anxiously wanted to know.

"It makes sense, though. You heard the news: wandmakers have been disappearing all over the country so it's obvious that You-Know-Who is looking for a way to surpass the twin core problem. I'm willing to bet that by now he has heard of the Deathly Hallows and is on the search for at the very least the Elder Wand; I wouldn't say he has ruled out the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility, considering that all three together would make one Master of Death," Harry replied, leaning away from Hermione a bit. "And… I think I know where the Elder Wand is."

"Huh? You _do_?" Hermione said in confusion.

Harry hesitated. He knew that Hermione was not going to like what he was about to say next but she had to know.

"The other night, while I was sleeping, I saw You-Know-Who break into Dumbledore's tomb and take out Dumbledore's wand. He has it, Hermione. You-Know-Who has the Elder Wand in his possession," Harry confessed bracingly.

"_You let him in?_" Hermione exclaimed incredulously.

"Never mind that!" Harry snapped. "You-Know-Who now has the most powerful wand in existence. What else could it be if he went after it? I doubt even _he_ randomly goes breaking into people's tombs for the hell of it."

"Hm," Hermione said skeptically. "I still want to look into it more."

"You are _not_ going to the library, Hermione. Either you believe in the Deathly Hallows or not."

"Oh, sure. _Now_ you're against sneaking around the castle when this could possibly help us –"

"HERMIONE!"

"FINE! No need to yell."

Harry glared at her before standing up and joining Ginny and Ron on the other side of the room, where they were laughing at Fred and George as they were being given their detention. He couldn't believe that Hermione chose _now_ out of all times to be agreeable about sneaking around. Even though she said she wasn't going to slink off to the library, Harry's instincts were warning him that she might do the contrary. He was going to have to keep an eye on her.

**Looks like Hermione might be the one to cause trouble for once. Will she go for it?**

**Thanks for the reviews!**


	21. The library

As much Hogwarts was an enchanting place, it could become quite terrifying at night, especially in these dark times. Shadows seemed to spring to life and every flicker of a torch could be mistaken for an enemy lurking in the darkest corners, the air tingling with some sort of forbidden magic.

Hermione was silently creeping along the fourth floor towards the library. It was the early hours of the morning, around one-thirty, so it was still quite dark outside and within the castle walls, only an occasional torch illuminating the corridors. She had made sure that everyone had been very well asleep before casting a Disillusionment Charm on herself and slipping out of the Room of Requirement. Harry had confiscated the Invisibility Cloak so Hermione couldn't use it the day before. He should have known that she would have other tricks up her sleeve.

Hermione pressed herself against the wall within the shadow of a suit of armor created as Argus Filch rounded the corner ahead. He was, thankfully, unaccompanied by his cat Mrs Norris and he walked past Hermione without a single glance. Grateful that the caretaker was a Squib, she released the breath she was holding and continued her way.

She reached the library and cautiously stepped inside. The place seemed darker and creepier than the rest of the castle but Hermione still felt at home here. She lit her wand tip and began to move through the different sections.

It did not take long for her to find the section on wizard myths and folktales. She pulled a large volume off a shelf that dealt with mysterious magical objects. Hermione flipped through it but no mention of the Deathly Hallows was made. Undeterred, she put the book aside and took out another. That one too did not contain any information about the infuriatingly mysterious artifacts.

Hermione spent the next hour pouring through another dozen of books but her search proved itself to be futile: it seemed that the only place the Deathly Hallows were referred to was in _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_, which she had found a copy in English next to _The Truths and Lies of Wizarding Folktales_. Knowing she only had about three or four hours before daybreak, Hermione swiftly made her way to the section on rare magical objects. She was going through a book called _Extraordinary Powers within Ordinary Objects_ when she felt the Disillusionment Charm suddenly lift. Hermione whirled around, her hair flying around her, and pointed her still-lit wand at none other than Draco Malfoy. He shielded his eyes against the blaring light.

"_Malfoy?_" Hermione said in disbelief. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Granger," Malfoy sneered. "Mind lowering your wand or do I have to do it for you?"

Hermione only lowered it enough so that the light wasn't shining in the blond boy's eyes. He smiled mischievously and took a step forward as she took one back, her lower back hitting the edge of a table.

"I had no idea you were lurking somewhere around here," Malfoy said. "But you shouldn't have come out of your little hiding place. You would have lived a little longer."

"I doubt it. You wouldn't kill me, Draco. You are not like your master," Hermione replied.

"What makes you think so?" Malfoy demanded to know but Hermione saw in his eyes that she had hit the mark.

"_Nox_," she whispered. Her wand extinguished itself but the moon was shining through a window so Hermione could still see Malfoy standing in front of her quite clearly. She took a step forward, braving the consequences that might follow.

"Well?" Malfoy continued expectantly.

"Draco, you may hate me but you don't want me dead. In fact, I don't think you want anyone dead. So why did you join You-Know-Who's inner circle?" Hermione asked.

"Why do you think, Mudblood?" Malfoy spat but his voice wavered.

"I highly doubt it was because you felt like joining," Hermione said smoothly. "It was because of you father; you are being used as a punishment for your father's failure at the Ministry two years ago. You never wanted this."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? All you've done to me so far is remove my disguise although it wasn't very much of one with my wand lit up. You could have killed me while I had my back turned but you chose not to. If it was truly your heart's desire to become a Death Eater, you would take out your wand and kill me right here, right now. Do it. I dare you."

In three short strides Malfoy approached her and grabbed her by the forearms, pushing her back into the table. Hermione gasped as she felt the edge cut into her back but she did not lose her grip on her wand. Her brown eyes met Malfoy's grey ones and she saw that something had broken in them.

"You don't know what it's like," Malfoy hissed, "to have him threaten you and your family, okay? It was either join or die and… and… _why_ am I telling you this? You're an unregistered Mudblood! I should be turning you in!"

"Because you have nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. I've heard Crabbe and Goyle are quite fond of the Death Eaters and wish to follow in their fathers' footsteps," Hermione said placidly. "Face it, Draco. You're alone and are desperate to have someone help you. Even if that help comes from someone like me."

Malfoy snorted. "Like I need help from a filthy little Mudblood such as yourself."

"Whatever, Malfoy. Say what you want but deep down you wish that you were on our side instead of his. All I hope is that you make the right decision and that you come out of this alive."

"Y-You do?"

Malfoy suddenly softened. He didn't let go of Hermione but she felt his grip slacken. She was about to say something else when he was suddenly yanked away from her by some invisible force. Hermione stared as Malfoy looked around for the source of what had grabbed him but there was seemingly nothing there. Then, without warning, he was sent crashing to the floor.

Hermione looked around frantically but Malfoy's attacker was still nowhere to be seen. She turned back to Malfoy, who had gingerly sat up, and realized that he had been punched in the jaw. His bottom lip had split open and it was swelling handsomely. He glared at Hermione loathingly.

"You… You had something to do with this," Malfoy snarled. "I don't know how you did it but you did."

"N-No," Hermione stammered, suddenly frightened. "It wasn't me, I swear!"

But Malfoy was no longer listening. He jumped to feet and whipped out his wand, pointing it at her. Hermione raised her own wand, ready to deflect any curse he threw her way.

He raised his wand over his shoulder then froze, a look of pure confusion settling itself over his features. Malfoy looked at his wand arm and began to pull at it with all of his might. Hermione realized that something was holding him there and it wasn't going to release him any time soon. But what could it be? It clearly wasn't a Full Body-Bind Curse.

Malfoy's arm suddenly started to jerk left and right and up and down. Hermione followed the limb with her eyes as the scenario unfolded itself, thinking that this was one of the most bizarre things she has ever witnessed. Malfoy struggled to free himself but all efforts so far proved themselves to be useless.

His wand then flew out of his hand and remained suspended in mid-air. No one dared to move a muscle, all eyes on the floating wand. It then slashed through the air and with a flash of light Malfoy was sent flying into a bookcase. Books tumbled to the ground as he fell along with them. He wasted no time to scramble to his feet and rush toward the library's exit.

Hermione watched as the wand disappeared into thin air and she sprinted after Malfoy. She didn't care that her footsteps echoed throughout the place, she just wanted to be away from where she was standing. Hermione had her suspicions of what had attacked Malfoy but she did not want to risk confirming her hypothesis in case she was wrong.

She was beginning to see the archway that was the library's exit when she felt something grab her arm. Hermione managed to bite back a small scream and tried to break free from the invisible force that was holding her prisoner. It gave her arm a sharp pull and Hermione screwed her eyes shut as she stumbled forward. She braced herself and waited but nothing else happened. She cracked an eye open and found herself face to face with a very angry Harry Potter while standing underneath the Invisibility Cloak.

If Hermione had seen Harry furious before, it was nothing compared to now; it even surpassed the time during their fifth year when he had been especially choleric. He had gone very white in the face and his eyes were flashing dangerously. The air around him seemed to crackle with tempestuous magic.

"Walk," Harry ordered stiffly.

"Our feet will be seen," Hermione reminded him.

"Then _crouch_!" Harry snarled.

Hermione knew that it would be wise to obey him. They made their way out of the library and walked through the corridor in complete silence. Hermione kept glancing at Harry but he kept his eyes staring dead ahead, acting as if she didn't exist.

It wasn't until they had reached the seventh floor did Harry finally react. He turned on Hermione so fast that she was startled into retrograding into the wall. She let out a small gasp as she felt pain course through her from her lower back; Malfoy had slammed her into that table much harder than she had initially thought.

Harry was now standing so close to her that she could see herself in both his eyes and his glasses in the light that was being emitted from the torch above them that was piercing through the Invisibility Cloak. The anger was still burning in his eyes and Hermione noticed that Harry's cheekbones were now highly colored with a bright red flush. He pressed his hands on either side of her head against the wall and he glared at Hermione fiercely.

"What the hell were you _thinking_?" Harry hissed. "I expected this kind of stupidity from Malfoy but not from you. You promised, Hermione. You promised!"

"And I suppose you've been watching me like a hawk since yesterday?" Hermione retorted.

"And I was right to do so. Look at what happened tonight! Malfoy was about to hurt you!"

Hermione felt like pointing out that Malfoy had only intended to harm her when Harry had delivered that blow to his jaw but she thought better of it and kept her mouth shut.

"If I hadn't shown up on time, I could have… I could have…" Harry swallowed. "Found you lying dead on the floor."

At those words, something changed in Harry. His anger seemed to melt away and Hermione observed with a start that there were tears sparkling in those brilliant green eyes. His hands slid down the wall and fell on her shoulders. Harry leaned forward and rested his forehead against Hermione's, closing his eyes as he did so. Hermione remained unmoving, unsure whether it was safe to touch him.

"I can't stand the thought. I can't bear it! When I saw Malfoy suddenly grab you, I was so scared for a moment," Harry whispered sorrowfully, his voice quivering. "I've lost so many people in my life, Hermione. Please don't become one of them." A tear escaped from underneath his eyelid.

"Oh, Harry…" Hermione felt like crying, too. How could she have been so selfish? "I'm so sorry…"

She reached out and wiped the tear away. She then wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close to her. Hermione felt Harry trembling against her as he returned the hug. She rubbed his back, starting out in small, slow circles then going up and down the length as she whispered soothing words about how no one was ever going to leave him anymore. Hermione heard Harry let out a short, strangle gasp that she recognized as him trying to choke down a sob. She put a bit more pressure in the embrace before pulling away, brushing away the stray tears Harry had permitted to escape.

"It's going to be okay," Hermione said softly. "_We're_ going to be okay. _All_ of us. No one else will die except for You-Know-Who."

Harry nodded, keeping his stare focused on the wall behind Hermione and taking deep, steady breaths. Hermione smiled kindly at him and gave him her handkerchief.

"Did… Did you find anything?" Harry asked, taking the small piece of cloth from her.

"Sadly, no. It's like the Deathly Hallows are a fairytale construct but the name itself isn't presented in the story itself and neither is the whole 'Master of Death' thing. It's obvious that the concept has been spread around but why hasn't anyone written anything about it? You would think that objects of such power would have been researched and documented," Hermione replied, frowning.

"Maybe they have been looked up but no one's found anything?" Harry suggested tentatively, dabbing his eyes.

"Maybe," Hermione said. "C'mon, let's head back to the Room of Requirement."

"Yeah," Harry replied, giving her a slightly watery smile, which she returned.

He placed an arm around her shoulders and she put one around his waist. Silently, they continued their way towards the Room of Requirement while making sure the Invisibility Cloak covered them both perfectly.

**Poor Harry has the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's only natural for him to break down once in a while.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**


	22. Voldemort's arrival

Snape was pacing feverishly in his office later the next day. A whole day has passed and he was now waiting for the Dark Lord's arrival. He had managed to convince the Carrows to wait before summoning their master by demanding that they made absolutely sure that it _was_ Potter that they had seen. The twins had begun to protest when Snape reminded them that the Dark Lord did not take too kindly at being called out under false pretenses. The Carrows had fallen silent after that statement.

But now things have changed. While Snape was having a late-morning conference with the Carrows to discuss teaching methods, Draco Malfoy came bursting in and claimed that some invisible ghost had attacked him in the early hours of the previous morning while he was confronting Granger in the library. Alecto had let out a victorious cry, exclaiming that Potter had been sneaking around in his Invisibility Cloak (Snape cursed himself for sharing that piece of knowledge) and that if Hermione Granger was around, so was Potter. Amycus congratulated Malfoy and pressed his Dark Mark.

Snape felt his robes flutter in a small wind and a chill ran down his spine. Forcing himself to not shudder, he slowly turned around. The Dark Lord was standing in the heart of the office, the dark magic enveloping him like a thick blanket. Snape took a step forward, knowing the Dark Lord did not appreciate an improper greeting.

"Good afternoon, my Lord," Snape said silkily.

"Severus. I trust that I have been called here for a _very_ good reason," the Dark Lord said icily.

"You have. The Potter boy has been discovered running around the castle on more than one occasion," Snape replied.

"And you have only summoned for me _now_?" the Dark Lord said, his scarlet eyes flashing dangerously.

"We only had a glimpse of him the first time so we wanted to confirm our suspicions in order to avoid calling you unnecessarily," Snape lied smoothly. "We've received a full view of him when we had caught him skulking around the library yesterday."

"Excellent," the Dark Lord said, a horrible smile stretching across his features. "He won't go anywhere, not with Lord Voldemort prowling around the castle. We have Harry right where we want him."

"How shall we go about this, my Lord?" Snape asked, hating himself.

"You shall wait for my signal. I will go down to the Forbidden Forest and order all of my Death Eaters and Snatchers to come join me there. Once we are ready, I will send you my Patronus and you will organize an assembly in the Great Hall with all of your students and staff. You will tell them that Harry Potter was seen wandering around Hogwarts and that if anyone had any information related to the boy they should speak up. If I know our friend Harry, this is when he'll step forward and when he does I want you and the Carrows to grab him and bring him to me. You will most certainly be opposed by a few of his supporters but I am not worried about that; you, Alecto and Amycus are more than capable of taking them on, especially if you three work together. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal. Shall I discuss the plan with the twins or shall you?"

"I would like you to do it, Severus. I have other tasks that demand my immediate attention."

"As you wish, my Lord."

"Good. Let us make haste. I have let Harry slip through my fingers far too many times, but I most certainly won't let it happen this time."

"Yes, my Lord. Give Bellatrix my regards when you see her."

"Are you trying to fuel her animosity towards you, Severus?"

"Naturally."

"For your amusement (and, admittedly, for my own), I will pass on the message."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"I will now retreat into the Forbidden Forest. Do not forget the plan or things will not end well for you, Severus," the Dark Lord said sternly.

"Yes, my Lord," Snape replied passively.

The Dark Lord nodded and made his way towards the door. He had only put his hand on the handle when he froze. Snape watched curiously as the Dark Lord doubled over a bit, pressing a hand to his chest. When he faced the former Potions master again, Snape had to keep himself from taking a step back at the murderous rage that had made its home on the Dark Lord's snake-like face.

"He knows," the Dark Lord snarled.

"I-I beg your pardon, my Lord?" Snape asked politely.

"Potter is aware of a certain plan to immortality I had concocted years ago. Severus, what has become of the cup and the diadem I had placed in your possession?" the Dark Lord inquired.

"I have inserted them behind Dumbledore's portrait with several enchantments placed upon it," Snape lied, glancing at the spindle-legged table. Hufflepuff's cup was gone, and Snape doubted that Ravenclaw's diadem was still in the room as well.

"Ingenious. Dumbledore would be rolling in his grave if he knew he was guarding objects of mine," the Dark Lord replied, a ghost of that horrible smile playing on his lips. "Verify if they are still there."

Snape bowed his head and went up to the portrait. Dumbledore was watching him anxiously as he removed the protective enchantments he had placed shortly before the Dark Lord's arrival. Snape had to back up his fabricated tale in order to make it look remotely credible.

Once the enchantments were lifted, Snape pulled open the portrait and gave a small involuntary start. Something _had_ gone missing from behind the canvas: the sword of Gryffindor. But the fake one was still secured in the glass case. How did Potter and his friends know where the real sword was located? A quick look at the Sorting Hat's empty shelf gave Snape his answer.

"Let me guess: they're gone?" the Dark Lord said acidly.

"You have guessed correctly, my Lord," Snape replied bracingly, turning around.

"Then this changes everything. Call your assembly _now_, Severus. We must act immediately," the Dark Lord said.

With that, he turned around and left the office. Snape heard him Disapparate before the door even closed.

* * *

><p>Harry was twirling Malfoy's wand in his hand as he watched Professor McGonagall prop the sword against the wall as Hermione disposed of the mess they had made. Ron had convinced Hermione to destroy Hufflepuff's cup – under the reasoning that he and Harry already each destroyed one – and Harry had urged Professor McGonagall to take charge of Ravenclaw's diadem since she was the one who had found it. Both women had been hesitant but they eventually took hold of the sword of Gryffindor and forcefully cleaved both tainted artifacts in halves. It had been quite a satisfying event.<p>

Pain suddenly seared across his scar and Harry dropped Malfoy's wand – which fell to the floor with a clatter – to clutch his forehead. He felt boiling anger that was not his course through him and he caught a fleeting glimpse of Dumbledore's office. Another image flit through Harry's mind and it was a second shot of the same office, this time with Snape looking his way with an almost curious expression. With effort, Harry pulled himself out of Voldemort's mind, and frantically searched for his friends.

He didn't have to look for long; Ron must have seen him react to the pain because he was by Harry's side in a flash.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked worriedly. "Is it him?"

"Yes," Harry replied softly. "Ron, he's here. You-Know-Who's inside Hogwarts."

"_What?_"

"He's really angry too. I think he knows we're hunting his Horcruxes."

"Blimey! What are we gonna do?"

"Let's talk to Professor McGonagall."

Ron nodded and went to go get Hermione. Harry, in the meantime, approached the Transfiguration professor, who was looking at the diadem fragments she was holding in her hands with a saddened expression.

"Professor, You-Know-Who's back at Hogwarts," Harry told her, grabbing her arm urgently with both hands.

"Come again?" Professor McGonagall said incredulously, dropping the diadem pieces. They hit the floor with a loud clanging sound, causing some of the other students to look their way curiously.

"You-Know-Who's here," Harry repeated, releasing his professor. "Don't ask me how I know; just believe me."

"Trust me, Potter. I do," Professor McGonagall assured him as Ron and Hermione joined them.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"We need to get ready for battle," Professor McGonagall replied gravely. She whistled loudly and the entire room fell silent, all eyes on her.

"It has come to my attention that the level of danger at Hogwarts has reached unimaginable heights," Professor McGonagall announced. "You-Know-Who is currently somewhere within the school's walls."

A panicked whisper spread like wildfire among the crowd. It took Professor McGonagall several minutes to call their attention back to her.

"We all knew that this day would come eventually whether we liked it or not," she declared sternly. "We must find a way to warn the rest of the students and staff members. My suggestion is that –"

Whatever her suggestion was, it was never heard. Ginny suddenly came running in the Room of Requirement, her school robes flying around her. Everyone turned towards her, waiting to see what the commotion was about.

"S-Snape had ordered another assembly," Ginny said, gasping for breath. "Everyone must meet in the Great Hall, staff and student alike."

All the students began to automatically fumble around for their uniforms. Ginny walked up to Harry, who took her in his arms.

"Ginny, he's here," Harry said.

"Who's here?" she replied. Her eyes grew wide in comprehension. "Not – Not _You-Know-Who_?"

"I'm afraid so," Harry confirmed.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione inquired, sounding a little frightened.

"I'm going to that assembly. You and Ron find a way to contact the Order; this is the perfect opportunity to corner Snape," Harry said determinedly.

"Our Patronuses should be enough to bring them over here," Ron stated firmly as Ginny detached herself from Harry and walked away.

"We'll contact everyone, not just the Order. We're going to need all the help we can get," Hermione pitched in, for once not arguing over the plan.

"Start with the Order first," Harry told her.

Ginny came back to them, carrying a set of Gryffindor school robes in her arms.

"Put this on, Harry, You'll need to blend in when we'll be making our way to the Great Hall," she said calmly.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully as he took the robes from her. He turned to Ron and Hermione. "This is our fight to win. You-Know-Who has terrorized our world long enough. Get as much help as you can and I'll meet you later in the Great Hall. Good luck."

**It's finally time for the battle to begin! Who's going to come out alive and who'll die?**

**Thanks for the reviews!**


	23. Assembly in the Great Hall

Harry saw just how pronounced the fear the students felt towards the Carrows was as he followed everyone on their way to the Great Hall. They all walked with their spines ramrod-straight and they kept their eyes staring dead ahead. The twin Death Eaters were eyeing them from higher ground, looking awfully excited. The Chosen One could only imagine what they could be possibly anxious for.

Hogwarts has definitely changed. The mood was much darker, and the wonderful magic that had once rested within these walls has disappeared. The suits of armor stood grimly at their posts and there was no sign of Peeves either. If the mischief-loving poltergeist kept a low profile along with everybody else, then there was most certainly a frightening level of danger in the school.

They arrived in the Great Hall, where all the tables have been removed to make room for Hogwarts' many students. The staff was standing behind Snape while looking somber, and as Harry placed himself at the far end of the Great Hall along with the other Gryffindors he saw Professor McGonagall take her place between Professor Flitwick and Professor Slughorn, who both looked relieved to see her. Harry gave a small half-smile at this before bowing his head like the other students, staring long and hard at the floor.

When everyone had filed in, Snape took a step forward and addressed the crowd.

"It has come to my attention," he said silkily, "that we have an intruder running around the school. Of course, I speak of Harry Potter."

A murmur broke out as the students stared at each other in astonishment and began to exchange quick words. Harry rolled his eyes at how Snape was pretending to not have known that Harry has been at Hogwarts for months. It took all of the Chosen One's self-control to not cause an outburst right at this moment; he willed himself to wait a few extra minutes.

"Silence," Snape ordered, and the entire Great Hall fell silent. "As you all know, the Dark Lord demands that Potter should be handed to him the minute he is discovered. Anyone, teacher or student, who is currently holding information on Potter and is concealing it from us will be punished _severely_. It would be in your best interest to step up. _Now._"

Harry took a deep breath and placed himself between the rows of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Everyone gasped at the sight of him as the Carrows let out victorious cries. Harry, however, only had eyes for Snape, who was staring back at him impassively.

"I've been among these walls for much longer than you imply, Headmaster," Harry snarled, putting as much venom in the last word he could muster. "Why don't you tell them? Why don't you tell them that you have kept me locked up in your office since August?"

A few cries of outrage were elicited from both the staff and the students and Harry noticed that some were gripping their wands in their pockets. He prayed that they wouldn't do anything just yet.

"How dare you stand where he stood? How dare you take his place? Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!" Harry yelled furiously.

Snape opened his mouth to speak when the high windows behind him shattered and various members of the Order of the Phoenix forced their way inside the Great Hall. They materialized before Snape, encircling him, as Professor McGonagall struck down the Carrow twins with Remus Lupin's help. Harry watched the scene with a great sense of satisfaction.

The doors flew open with a bang, and Harry turned around along with everyone else. Ron and Hermione marched in with more Order members tailing after them, among them including Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks. They stalked forward, Mad-Eye Moody's wooden leg clunking on the tiled floor with every step he took. They stopped by Harry's side and the Chosen One gave them a brief smile before focusing on the scene in front of him.

The former Potions master betrayed no emotions as he locked eyes with each member of the Order. He then whipped out his wand and the Order wasted no time to act. Many yells echoed in the Great Hall and Harry's vision was obscured by flashes of blinding light. He pulled Ron and Hermione closer to him and they huddled together until the lights and the banging sounds subsided.

When everything cleared, Harry glanced over Ron and Hermione's heads at the front of the room and saw in astonishment that Snape had disappeared. Some of the Order members had been knocked off their feet and were currently being helped back up onto their feet. Grateful that no one got hurt or killed, Harry broke free from his friends and rushed towards Mrs Weasley, who was aiding her husband to stand again.

"Harry! Oh, thank goodness you're all right!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, letting go of Mr Weasley to hug Harry tightly. Mr Weasley, who had only risen half-way, lost his balance and toppled over.

"Sorry, Arthur!" Mrs Weasley said as a few people laughed.

"That's quite all right, Molly, dear," Mr Weasley replied placidly as he accepted his wife and Harry's hands. "How are you faring, Harry?"

"Okay, I guess. I'd feel a whole lot better if we were in a completely different situation."

"Enough with the pleasantness," Mad-Eye Moody growled, limping forward. "We've got a murderer along with his followers somewhere, and Snape just escaped our grasps _again_. We are at _war_."

"Escaped?" Harry repeated in disbelief. "W-What you mean?"

"Do you see him anywhere, boy? If you do, by all means, speak up," Moody said sardonically.

Harry cursed himself for his stupid question.

"Calm down, Alastor," Lupin said serenely as he approached them hand in hand with Tonks. "We won't get anywhere without a cool head."

"Tell the Dark Lord that," Moody spat.

"Remus is right," Kingsley said, striding towards them. "We need to figure out our next move rationally."

Harry nodded in agreement. Suddenly, much to the shock of everyone, Voldemort's voice boomed out in the Great Hall. It was cold, almost gleeful, and it sent a chill down Harry's very core.

"I know that you are all preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

Silence fell after those words as everyone stood stock-still. Pansy Parkinson then stumbled out of the Slytherin row and pointed her finger at Harry, her face wild.

"What are you waiting for? Grab him!" she shrieked.

The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all suddenly whipped out their wands and pointed them at the Slytherins. The Slytherin students took a few steps back, horror written plainly on their faces.

Ginny broke out of the Gryffindor crowd and faced the Slytherins.

"If anyone," she said venomously, "lays a finger on Harry, they will be force-fed Polyjuice Potion containing one of his hairs in it and thrown outside to fend for themselves. Do I make myself clear?"

"You don't even _have_ Polyjuice Potion on you," Blaise Zabini declared.

"Want to test that theory?" Ginny asked.

"Even if you did, you wouldn't perform your threat."

"_Try me._"

"That's enough!" Professor McGonagall ordered sharply as she was being led to the heart of the room by Professor Slughorn, who was holding her hand in a gentlemanly fashion. "Thank you for your devotion to Potter, Miss Weasley, but this situation needs to be handled in orthodox way."

Ginny retreated to find her parents. A commotion resounded all over the room and it was the result of Filch excitedly running into the Great Hall, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Students out of bed! Students out of bed!" he exclaimed cheerfully, stopping in front of Professor McGonagall.

"They're supposed to be, you blithering idiot!" she snapped irritably.

"Oh," Filch said, disappointment displayed all over his features. "Sorry, ma'am."

"Actually, Argus, your timing is impeccable. I would like you to escort the Slytherin students out of the Great Hall."

"Escort them? Where?"

"Oh, the dungeons will suffice." Professor McGonagall gave the caretaker a knowing smile.

Laughter echoed in the Great Hall as Filch led the scandalized Slytherins out into the Entrance Hall. Professor McGonagall took Snape's place and brought order back among the students.

"This is how we will do things," she told them firmly. "All underage students will evacuate the premises immediately _without_ protest. There is a passage that leads to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, where you will be taken to safety. A member of the Order of the Phoenix will take you there. Those who are of age have the choice to fight or to leave."

A small buzz of disapproval passed among the students as Professor McGonagall whispered a few instructions to Dedalus Diggle, who eagerly nodded and went off with his task. As he brought the underage students out of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall made her way towards Harry with Professor Slughorn following her closely.

"What do you need, Potter?" she asked earnestly.

"Time, professor. I still don't know where the other two Horcruxes are," Harry replied, deliberately failing to mention that he had yet to know _what_ those Horcruxes were.

"Time is what you will get," Professor McGonagall said. "One way or another," she added, with a small lack of confidence.

"Thank you," Harry told her. He glanced at Professor Slughorn. "Uh, why is Professor Slughorn constantly lurking behind you?"

Professor McGonagall looked over her shoulder and smiled a little.

"Professor Dumbledore has put him in charge of making sure that I'm all right," Professor McGonagall said warmly. "I think I may have given Professor Slughorn a fright when I took refuge in the Room of Requirement for a few days."

"He's not gonna let you out of his sight for a second, is he?"

"I do not doubt it, Potter. Now _go_."

Harry nodded and hurriedly joined Ron and Hermione, who were by the doors talking to Hestia Jones. This was going to be one battle they were never going to forget.

**It's been a while! Sorry for the wait. I thank you very much for your patience.**


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